Lewiston Man Pleads Guilty to Conspiracy to Cultivate and Distribute Marijuana

Portland, Maine:  A Lewiston man pleaded guilty today in federal court in Portland to conspiring to manufacture 100 or more marijuana plants and to distribute 100 or more kilograms of marijuana, U.S. Attorney Halsey B. Frank announced.

According to court records, Richard Daniels, 54, actively participated in a drug trafficking organization that operated in Androscoggin County and elsewhere between 2015 and February 2018. Members of the conspiracy cultivated and distributed large quantities of marijuana in violation of federal law, and under the cover of—but in violation of—Maine’s Medical Use of Marijuana program. The organization cultivated marijuana at numerous locations in Androscoggin County and distributed marijuana to people who were not participants in the medical marijuana program, including out-of-state customers. Daniels was involved with the distribution of bulk quantities of marijuana to the conspiracy’s customers, including those from outside of Maine. 

On February 27, 2018, law enforcement officers searched Daniels’ residence and an adjacent garage. During the search, agents seized distributable quantities of marijuana, hash oil, approximately 41 sheets of butane hash oil, a money counter and other indicia of drug trafficking.

Daniels faces at least 5 years and up to 40 years in prison and a fine of up to $5,000,000. He will be sentenced after the completion of a presentence investigation report by the U.S. Probation Office.

The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration and the IRS Criminal Investigation Division investigated the case.

The prosecution is a result of the ongoing efforts by the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (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.