BREWER – Four men were arrested on alleged drug violations early Wednesday morning at an apartment building on North Main Street. Seventeen plastic bags of crack cocaine, with an estimated street value of between $4,000 and $7,000, were found in a sock worn by Ronald Evans, 22, of Brewer and New York state, according to police. More than $2,100 also was found in Evans’ possession. He is charged with possession of cocaine with the intent to distribute.
Also arrested was Everett Adams, 25, of Brewer, who had rented Apartment 12 in the building at 347 North Main St. The apartment was the object of a police search after a warrant was obtained Tuesday. Adams is charged with possession of heroin. He will make an initial appearance in state court at a date not released Wednesday and remains free on bail.
Matthew Lynch, 19, residence unknown, was arrested and charged with possession of cocaine and will make an initial appearance in state court at a date yet to be determined. Jason Grant, 22, hometown unknown, was arrested and charged with possession of cocaine and will appear at a future date in state court. Lynch and Grant are free on bail.
Evans made an initial appearance Wednesday afternoon before Magistrate Judge Margaret J. Kravchuk at U.S. District Court in Bangor. If convicted, he faces the possibility of 20 years in prison, a $1 million fine or both, according to a court affidavit.
Evans is detained pending a hearing scheduled for June 5 that will focus on three topics. Issues of further detention, a preliminary examination and a removal hearing will be considered at that time. Evans is charged with violating conditions of supervised release in New York state after being convicted of possession with the intent to distribute crack cocaine there.
The removal hearing is the federal equivalent of a state extradition hearing and will determine whether probable cause exists that Evans is the person sought by an out-of-state arrest warrant.
According to Detective Sgt. Perry Antone of the Brewer Police Department, MDEA agents informed police that a drug transaction was taking place at 347 North Main St. Tuesday night. Working on information provided, police stopped a taxicab at about 10 p.m. Tuesday and found the passenger in the cab possessed two bags of heroin. In a subsequent interview, the cab’s occupant, whose name was not given, provided sufficient information for officers to obtain a search warrant for 347 North Main St.
The warrant was prepared by Brewer police Detective Fred Luce and granted by District Court Judge Jesse Gunther. The warrant was executed at about 2 a.m. when the other arrests were made and drug paraphernalia was discovered, according to Antone. Between 8 and 10 grams of crack cocaine was discovered in Evans’ possession, a fairly substantial amount, according to Antone.
“Because of the quantity seized and the way it was packaged, we’re alleging this was a drug trafficking case,” Antone said Wednesday afternoon. Antone praised the cooperative efforts of MDEA agents Garry Higgins and James Carr; Maine State Police Trooper Seth Edwards; Brewer police Sgt. Jay Munson and patrol officers Rodney Gerald, Dave Lord and Raymond Gotreau in securing the drug-related arrests.
“Three different agencies worked together to make this happen. It’s the teamwork that helped make this possible,” in the area’s continuing battle against illegal drugs, Antone said.
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