Bangor, Orrington Men Sentenced for Roles in Penobscot and Aroostook County Drug Trafficking Ring

BANGOR, Maine: Two Maine men were sentenced today in separate hearings at the U.S. District Court in Bangor for their roles in a northern Maine drug trafficking ring.

U.S. District Judge Stacey D. Neumann sentenced Joshua Jerrell, 30, to time served, approximately 36 months, followed by three years of supervised release. On February 9, 2023, Jerrell pleaded guilty to conspiring to distribute and possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine and fentanyl and conspiring to make false statements to a federal firearms licensee.

Judge Neumann sentenced Aaron Rodgers, 43, to time served, approximately 33 months, followed by three years of supervised release. On April 9, 2024, Rodgers pleaded guilty to conspiring to distribute and possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine and fentanyl.

According to court records, between January 2018 and December 2021, Jerrell, Rodgers and others trafficked methamphetamine and fentanyl in Penobscot and Aroostook counties and elsewhere. Both men regularly arranged to obtain quantities from a source through phone calls, texts and social media using coded language and then distribute these drugs to customers in Penobscot County. In June 2021, Jerrell made false statements to a federal firearms licensee in Holden in an attempt to obtain firearms for his drug supplier.

Twenty-one defendants have been charged in this and related cases for their part in a widespread northern Maine drug trafficking conspiracy. To date, 13 of the defendants have been sentenced while 8 await sentencing:

Sentenced:

• Andrew Adams (32, Aroostook County) – 10 years
• Matthew Catalano (38, Penobscot County) – 165 months
• Christopher Coty (44, Bangor) – 4 years
• Blaine Footman (38, Bangor) – 5 years
• Nicole Footman (41, Holden) – 3 years
• Dwight Gary, Jr. (54, Medway) – Time served
• Thomas Hammond (26, Charleston) – 84 months
• Joshua Jerrell (30, Orrington) – Time served (approx. 36 months)
• James King (55, Caribou) – 165 months
• Shelby Loring (29, Bangor) – Time served (approx. 32 months)
• Danielle McBreairty (34, Glenburn) – 20 years
• Aaron Rodgers (43, Bangor) – Time served (approx. 33 months)
• Wayne Smith (33, Bangor) – 85 months

Awaiting sentencing:

• Daquan Corbett (30, Brockton, Mass.)
• Jason Cunrod (42, Caribou) – sentencing scheduled 02/20/25
• Carol Gordon (53, Bangor) – sentencing scheduled 02/20/25
• Daviston Jackson (28, Boston, Mass.)
• Sarah McBreairty (36, Dixmont) – sentencing scheduled 05/05/25
• John Miller (24, Caribou) – sentencing scheduled 02/20/25
• James Valiante, 42 (Linneus) – sentencing scheduled 05/05/25
• Joshua Young (48, Presque Isle) – sentencing scheduled 02/20/25

The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration; Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; and Maine Drug Enforcement Agency investigated the case. Assistance was provided by the police departments in Orono, Bangor, Brewer, Caribou, Presque Isle and Houlton. U.S. Attorney Darcie McElwee also recognized the cooperation and coordination provided by the Maine State Attorney General’s Office and the Aroostook County District Attorney’s Office.

Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces: This prosecution is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) investigation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations that threaten the United States by using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks. 

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