Winthrop Man Pleads Guilty to Drug and Gun Charges

Contact: Jody Mullis
Assistant United States Attorney
Tel: (207) 945-0373

Bangor, Maine:  United States Attorney Thomas E. Delahanty II announced that Chad Goucher, 38, of Winthrop, Maine, pleaded guilty today in U.S. District Court to possessing heroin with the intent to distribute, possession of a firearm by a prohibited person, and possession of an unregistered sawed-off shotgun.  

According to court records, on March 6, 2015, law enforcement officers executed a search warrant at Goucher’s residence in Winthrop.  Officers recovered heroin, drug paraphernalia, and three firearms, including a .12 gauge Iver Johnson sawed-off shotgun.  Goucher had a prior felony conviction from the State of Maine which prohibited him from possessing firearms.  Goucher admitted to law officers that he intended to distribute some of the heroin and he also admitted that he knew that he was not permitted to possess firearms. 

Goucher faces up to 20 years in prison on the heroin charge, a $1,000,000 fine, and between three years and life on supervised release.  He faces up to 10 years in prison, up to three years of supervised release, and a fine for each of the firearms charges.    He will be sentenced after the completion of a presentence investigation report by the U.S. Probation Office.

The investigation was conducted by the Winthrop Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.