Linneus Man Pleads Guilty to Role in Penobscot and Aroostook County Drug Trafficking

BANGOR, Maine: A Linneus man pleaded guilty today in U.S. District Court in Bangor for his role in a conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine and fentanyl.

According to court records, between January 2018 and December 2021, James Valiante, 42, and others trafficked methamphetamine and fentanyl in Penobscot and Aroostook counties and elsewhere. Valiante, a drug dealer in Aroostook County, participated in the conspiracy by regularly obtaining quantities of drugs from his source of supply in the Bangor area.

Valiante faces 10 years to life in prison and a maximum fine of $10 million to be followed by up to five years of supervised release. A federal district judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

Twenty-one defendants have been charged in this and related cases for their part in the northern Maine drug trafficking conspiracy. To date, 10 of the defendants have been sentenced and nine have pleaded guilty:

Sentenced:

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

Pleaded Guilty:

• Sarah McBreairty (36, Dixmont)
• John Miller (23, Caribou)
• Shelby Loring (29, Bangor)
• Joshua Young (48, Presque Isle)
• Joshua Jerrell (30, Orrington)
• Carol Gordon (53, Bangor)
• Jason Cunrod (42, Caribou)
• Aaron Rodgers (43, Bangor)
• James Valiante, 42 (Linneus)

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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