BREWER – People who spotted a white van moving erratically on Route 1A in Dedham called police Monday evening, prompting the arrest of a local man for alleged possession of 60 morphine pills and three bags of marijuana.

Marvin W. Lovely, 44, who pleaded guilty in a 1986 cocaine-dealing case, was stopped by Holden police Officer Chris Greeley at 5:43 p.m. Monday just over the Holden line in Brewer. Brewer police officers assisted.

As police patted Lovely down, they found he was holding a 200-milligram morphine pill, three individually wrapped bags of marijuana and 59 30-milligram morphine pills, according to police reports.

Lovely was sentenced to nine years in federal prison in March 1987 for two counts of conspiring to possess cocaine with the intent to distribute and one count of cocaine distribution. He was released from federal prison in December 1990, under a system that allowed prisoners to be paroled after serving one-third of a sentence.

Lovely faced up to 45 years in jail for the 1986 cocaine charges, but cooperated with the government and was given a lesser sentence.

In Lovely’s arrest Monday, he was charged with possession of a useable amount of marijuana, possession of a Schedule W drug and furnishing of a Schedule W drug.

Because of the number of pills found, the charge may be upgraded to a felony, Police Chief Gene Worcester said Tuesday.

Lovely’s female passenger was not charged.

Lovely was taken to Penobscot County Jail, then released on bail. He is to appear in 3rd District Court in Bangor on Jan. 11.