Hancock Man Pleads Guilty to Possessing Fentanyl with Intent to Distribute

Bangor, Maine:  A Hancock man pleaded guilty yesterday in federal court in Bangor to possessing with the intent to distribute 40 grams or more of a substance containing fentanyl, United States Attorney Halsey B. Frank announced.

According to court records, on February 13, 2019, law enforcement officers encountered William Smeal, 33, in Ellsworth, Maine.  A bag containing over 100 grams of a substance containing fentanyl was seized from his car.  Smeal admitted to purchasing drugs in Massachusetts that day.  A search of Smeal’s home and an additional search of his car resulted in the seizure of more than another 100 grams of a substance containing of fentanyl. 

Smeal faces between five years and 40 years in prison and up to a $5,000,000 fine.  He also faces between four years and a lifetime of supervised release. 

The Maine Drug Enforcement Agency and the FBI investigated the case. 

The prosecution is a result of the ongoing efforts by the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) Program, a partnership between federal, state and local law enforcement agencies. The OCDETF mission is to identify, investigate and prosecute high-level members of drug trafficking enterprises, bringing together the combined expertise and unique abilities of federal, state and local law enforcement.