Connecticut Man Sentenced to 13 Years for Crack Conspiracy and Distribution

Contact: Julia M. Lipez
Assistant United States Attorney
Tel: (207) 780-3257

Portland, Maine:  United States Attorney Thomas E. Delahanty II announced that Russell Gordon, 32, of Ansonia, Connecticut, was sentenced today in U.S. District Court by Judge George Z. Singal to 13 years in prison and five years of supervised release for conspiring to distribute cocaine base, often referred to as crack cocaine, and possession with intent to distribute crack cocaine.  Gordon also was ordered to forfeit $10,706.50.  He pleaded guilty to the charges
on May 29, 2015.

Court records reveal that between December 2013 and January 2015, Gordon conspired with others to sell crack cocaine in Portland, Maine.  Gordon would arrange for the acquisition of drugs out of state.  Once the drugs were transported to Maine, they were provided to retail distributors who would sell the drugs in the Portland area, and then return the cash proceeds to Gordon.  During the course of the investigation, law enforcement officers conducted controlled purchases of crack cocaine from members of the conspiracy.  Gordon was arrested on January 9, 2015 at 66 Smith Street in Portland.  At the time of his arrest, officers found him next to a bag containing 89 grams of crack cocaine and over $10,000 in cash. 

Marco Gordon previously was sentenced to eleven years in connection with this conspiracy and Robert Joiner, Jr. and Samuel Collins each were sentenced to three years.  Other defendants connected to this conspiracy have entered guilty pleas and await sentencing.  

This case was investigated by the Southern Maine Gang Task Force, which is comprised of investigators from the Federal Bureau of Investigation; the Portland, South Portland, Biddeford and Lewiston Police Departments; U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations; the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; and the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration.  The Maine Drug Enforcement Agency and the Maine State Police also assisted with the investigation. 

The case also results from the ongoing effort of the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF), a partnership between federal, state and local law enforcement agencies.  The principal mission of the OCDETF program is to identify, disrupt and dismantle the most serious drug trafficking, weapons trafficking and money laundering organizations, and those primarily responsible for the nation’s illegal drug supply.