Penobscot County Man Sentenced to 13+ Years for Role in Penobscot and Aroostook County Drug Trafficking

BANGOR, Maine:  A Penobscot County man was sentenced 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 and for being an unlawful user of controlled substances in possession of a firearm.

U.S. District Judge Lance E. Walker sentenced Matthew Catalano (aka “Tampa”), 33, to 165 months in prison followed by five years of supervised release. He pleaded guilty on November 19, 2022.

According to court records, between January 2018 and December 2021, Catalano, along with others, trafficked methamphetamine and fentanyl in Penobscot and Aroostook counties and elsewhere. On February 17, 2021, Catalano was arrested by the Orono Police Department following a traffic stop during which he was found in possession of large amounts of methamphetamine and fentanyl, a loaded 9mm handgun and drug paraphernalia.

Catalano is the seventh participant involved in the northern Maine conspiracy to be sentenced. To date, eight of the remaining 14 defendants related to the case have pleaded guilty.

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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