“Pee Wee” Paradis Caged: 4+ Years for Fentanyl & Coke

Auburn, Maine’s Zachery Paradis, a career criminal known on the streets as “Pee Wee,” is heading back to prison. Paradis received a sentence exceeding four years for peddling fentanyl and cocaine in Androscoggin County. U.S. District Judge Nancy Torresen delivered the blow in Portland, adding three years of supervised release to the lockup.

The feds caught Paradis red-handed during a March 2022 controlled buy. An undercover FBI agent secured 10 grams of fentanyl from Paradis, and during the deal, Paradis foolishly bragged about other criminal activities, including a 2021 shooting in Lewiston. He didn’t stop there. In April 2022, another buy netted approximately 12.8 grams of cocaine base. Both transactions were recorded, cementing Paradis’ guilt.

Paradis isn’t a rookie. He’s a repeat offender with at least ten prior convictions, including two federal firearms charges. Federal prosecutors didn’t mince words, citing his extensive criminal history in pushing for a significant sentence. This wasn’t a first-time mistake; it was a calculated continuation of a life built on illegal activity.

The investigation was a collaborative effort, with the FBI’s Southern Maine Gang Task Force leading the charge, backed by the DEA and local police departments from Lewiston and Auburn. They pieced together evidence that demonstrated Paradis wasn’t just a street-level dealer, but a key player in the local drug supply. The recordings from the controlled buys were damning, providing irrefutable proof of his involvement.

Judge Torresen handed down a 51-month sentence, acknowledging the severity of the crimes and Paradis’ established pattern of lawbreaking. The lengthy supervised release period is intended to monitor Paradis closely upon his release, hopefully preventing a swift return to his old habits. But for a career criminal like “Pee Wee,” rehabilitation remains a long shot.

This case serves as a stark reminder of the opioid crisis plaguing Maine and the relentless efforts of law enforcement to stem the flow of deadly drugs. While one dealer is off the streets, the fight continues. Paradis’ sentence sends a message: trafficking fentanyl and cocaine carries serious consequences, and a criminal record won’t earn you leniency.