Darrell Newton, Drug Trafficking, Maine 2018

Bangor, Maine - A Rochester, New York man was sentenced today in federal court in Bangor for conspiring to distribute heroin, cocaine base and fentanyl, U.S. Attorney Halsey B. Frank announced.

U.S. District Judge John A. Woodcock, Jr. sentenced Darrell Newton, a/k/a 'Coast,' a/k/a 'D-Coast,' to 20 years in prison and five years of supervised release. Newton pleaded guilty in October 2018.

According to court records, between June 2015 and March 2017, Newton ran a drug distribution operation based out of Rochester, New York that operated in central Maine. Individuals from Rochester were sent to central Maine to sell the drugs. They stayed with various local residents who allowed the drugs to be sold from their homes and assisted the Rochester dealers in distributing, storing and transporting the narcotics throughout the region. There were approximately 12-15 such area residences during the height of the conspiracy's activities. The local residents were paid in cocaine base or heroin for allowing the Rochester dealers to stay in the residences and sell the drugs. Periodically, drug proceeds were collected from the various distribution points in central Maine and transported back to Newton.

Newton organized and operated the drug trafficking operation from Rochester. He recruited and sent drug dealers from Rochester to central Maine. He also obtained large quantities of heroin, cocaine base and fentanyl that he arranged to be transported to the area by couriers whom he recruited. Once in the area, the Rochester dealers distributed the drugs in cooperation with local dealers.

The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, the Maine Drug Enforcement Agency and the Kennebec County Sheriff's Office investigated the case, with assistance provided by the Augusta Police Department. This case was investigated and prosecuted as part of the Strategy to Combat the Opioid Epidemic.

Darrell Newton, 39, from Rochester, New York, was sentenced to 20 years in prison and five years of supervised release for conspiring to distribute heroin, cocaine base and fentanyl in central Maine. He pleaded guilty in October 2018.

The exact charges against Newton include conspiring to distribute heroin, cocaine base and fentanyl. The crime occurred between June 2015 and March 2017. The sentence was handed down on October 2018.

Source: https://www.justice.gov/usao-me/pr/new-york-man-sentenced-prison-drug-trafficking