PARIS — A Rumford man accused of trafficking cocaine pleaded guilty in Oxford County Superior Court on Wednesday. 

Edward E. Towers Jr., 48, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to traffic illegal drugs, a class C felony.

He was given a two-year deferred disposition by the court along with a mandatory $400 fine. Towers’ attorney, Walter Hanstein, said Towers already served 70 days in jail before he was bailed out. 

An Oxford County grand jury in August indicted Towers on Class A illegal trafficking and Class B conspiracy to commit illegal drug trafficking charges.

The charges stem from an April 3 traffic stop by Rumford police in Peru after receiving an tip that Towers, Jolene K. Norris, 38, of Peru, and Martin Lore, 28, of Rumford were traveling from Portland in Norris’ truck with cocaine to distribute in the Rumford area. 

In court Wednesday, Hanstein said if a motion to suppress all evidence in the case he filed in May was sustained, it would severely compromise the state’s case against Towers.

In the motion, Hanstein argued that the police searched the vehicle without a warrant, despite having at least three hours after receiving the anonymous tip to obtain one. Hanstein also motioned to suppress all statements made by Towers during the search. 

According to an arrest warrant affidavit by Maine Drug Enforcement Agent Tony Milligan, Rumford officers followed Norris’ truck in Peru, where they found Norris, Towers and Lore. During a search of the vehicle, officers found five bags of what later tested positive to be crack cocaine, according to the affidavit.

More drugs were found in the pocket of Towers’ jacket and hidden in Lore’s socks, according to the report. In all, police recovered more than 13 grams of the drug, the affidavit states.

In court Wednesday, Hanstein said his client maintained he was unaware the drugs were in his jacket.

On Tuesday, Norris pleaded not guilty to one charge of unlawful trafficking of illegal drugs and conspiracy to commit trafficking in scheduled drugs. Martin Lore, who also faces aggravated drug trafficking charges in the case, is due to appear in Superior Court on Friday. 

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