Career Criminal Sentenced to 4+ Years in Prison for Fentanyl, Cocaine Trafficking in Androscoggin County

PORTLAND, Maine:  An Auburn man was sentenced in U.S. District Court in Portland today for trafficking both fentanyl and cocaine base in and around Androscoggin County.

U.S. District Judge Nancy Torresen sentenced Zachery Paradis (aka “Pee Wee”), 41, to 51 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release. Paradis pleaded guilty on December 1, 2022.

According to court records, in March 2022, the FBI conducted a controlled buy of narcotics from Paradis, purchasing 10 grams of fentanyl. During the exchange, which was captured on video and audio recording, Paradis bragged of multiple other crimes including being involved in a 2021 shooting in Lewiston. In April 2022, a second controlled buy of approximately 12.8 grams of cocaine base took place. A career criminal, Paradis has at least ten convictions as an adult, including two past federal convictions for firearms offenses.

The FBI’s Southern Maine Gang Task Force, U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, Lewiston Police Department and Auburn Police Department investigated the case.

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