PORTLAND — A New York man was convicted Wednesday on charges stemming from a drug trafficking operation in the Lewiston area.
James Winbrone, 32, of Brooklyn, N.Y., was found guilty in U.S. District Court of possession with intent to distribute heroin and distributing cocaine base, also known as crack cocaine.
The conviction came after a two-day bench trial.
Prosecutors say that on April 10, 2014, and Oct. 28, 2014, the Winbrone was involved in the distribution of heroin and crack cocaine in Lewiston. On Jan. 14, 2015, according to prosecutors, a search warrant executed at a Lewiston apartment used by Winbrone resulted in the seizure of cocaine and heroin.
Winbrone faces up to 30 years in prison and a $2 million fine. Based on prior convictions for drug trafficking, he may also be subject to an enhanced sentence as a career offender, according to a U.S. District Court news release.
The investigation was conducted by the Maine Drug Enforcement Agency, the Maine State Police and the Southern Maine Gang Task Force, which is composed of agents and officers from the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Portland and Biddeford Police Departments, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, U.S. Immigration & Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations and the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration. Assistance was also provided by the Lewiston and Auburn Police Departments and the Androscoggin County Sheriff’s Office.
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