BANGOR – A Levant man was sentenced on Monday in U.S. District Court to two years in federal prison on heroin charges.

William L. Beaulieu, 22, also was sentenced to three years of probation after his release and ordered to pay a $500 fine.

He faced up to 20 years in prison and a fine of up to $1 million for possession with intent to distribute heroin.

Beaulieu was arrested on Sept. 14, 2004, when a friend set up a drug buy that was monitored by Penobscot County sheriff’s deputies, the Maine State Police and the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency.

Police found 131 small bags of heroin in Beaulieu’s residence and in the woods behind his house. About 7 ounces of marijuana also was found in his possession.

He pleaded guilty in March to possession with intent to distribute cocaine and has been held at Cumberland County Jail in Portland since then.

The federal sentencing guidelines recommended Beaulieu be sentenced to between 24 and 30 months in prison.

His attorney, Terence Harrigan of Bangor, urged U.S. District Judge John Woodcock to sentence Beaulieu to nine months in prison and three years of probation.

Harrigan argued in his sentencing memorandum that Beaulieu “needs treatment and guidance as opposed to excessive punishment.”