BELFAST – Three Florida men have been arrested for allegedly dealing the prescription painkiller OxyContin from a local motel.

Arrested Tuesday on charges of trafficking in scheduled drugs were: Randy Crews, 32, Michael Ranger, 20, and Stephen Laurito, 19, all from Ocala, Fla. They were booked at the Waldo County Jail and were being held on $25,000 bail.

The three were arrested after a joint investigation by officers from the Belfast Police Department, Waldo County Sheriff’s Department, Maine State Police and the Maine Attorney General’s Office.

Confiscated during a search of the three men’s motel room were: 103 tablets of OxyContin, a quarter-ounce of marijuana, and approximately $6,000 in cash. Police also confiscated a 2003 Ford F-200 pickup truck as part of their investigation.

Police Chief Allen Weaver said the 80-milligram OxyContin tablets had a street value of approximately $8,000.

OxyContin is a highly addictive painkiller that has been cited as the cause of hundreds of crimes and addictions in Maine in recent years.

Police were alerted to the Florida men at 9 p.m. Monday when Patrolman Bryan Cunningham was tipped about suspicious activity at the motel. The person told Cunningham that he had noticed a “steady stream” of visitors to the men’s motel room, Weaver said.

Cunningham informed Belfast police drug investigator Michael McFadden, who immediately began conducting surveillance. He was joined Tuesday morning by Waldo County sheriff’s Detectives Jason Trundy and Greg Stearns. The officers also contacted the Attorney General’s Office to set in motion the paperwork needed to obtain a search warrant.

About 10:15 a.m. Tuesday, Maine State Police Trooper Steve Hills and his dog Reuger approached the motel room. Officers entered the room when the German shepherd alerted Hills to the presence of drugs. Police seized the three occupants and secured the room. With a warrant in hand, the team began searching the room and soon uncovered the drugs and cash.

Weaver said the three were strangers to the area but apparently had made connections. He said many of those who were seen entering the room during the surveillance were familiar to authorities.

“They apparently have some friends in the Belfast-Waldo County area,” Weaver said. “It is our contention that they transported these drugs from Florida to Maine and probably had already sold half of what they arrived with. This case is still under investigation and there may be further charges brought against these three and a number of others as well.”