Westbrook Man Pleads Guilty to Bath Salt Distribution and Obstruction of Justice

Contact: David B. Joyce
Assistant United States Attorney
Tel: (207) 780-3257

Portland, Maine: United States Attorney Thomas E. Delahanty II announced that Christopher Coombs, 43, of Westbrook, Maine, pleaded guilty today in U.S. District Court to possession with intent to distribute alpha-PHP (a bath salt) and obstruction of justice.

According to court records, on October 31, 2015, law enforcement officers conducted a controlled delivery of about 500 grams of alpha-PVP to Coombs at his residence in Westbrook.  This package originated from China and was intercepted by customs officials in New York.  After Coombs accepted the package, he was arrested.  Following his arrest, he directed his wife to delete certain emails that were relevant to the investigation.

At the plea hearing, Coombs also admitted to a violation of his supervised release.  Coombs was on supervision from a 2008 conviction for conspiracy to distribute cocaine base. 

Coombs faces up to 20 years in prison and a $1,000,000 fine on the drug charge; up to 20 years and a $250,000 fine on the obstruction charge; and up to three years for violating supervised release. He will be sentenced after completion of a presentence investigation report by the U.S. Probation Office. 

This case was investigated by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations, the Westbrook Police Department, and the U.S. Postal Service.