Edwin Hamel, 60, of Milford, Maine, is headed to federal prison for a decade after being sentenced Tuesday on charges tied to a synthetic drug ring and illegal firearms possession. U.S. District Judge John A. Woodcock, Jr. handed down the 10-year sentence, followed by three years of supervised release, after Hamel pleaded guilty in November 2015 to conspiring to distribute bath salts and being a felon in possession of firearms.
The case, prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Joel B. Casey, centers on a two-year drug pipeline Hamel allegedly operated between January 1, 2012, and March 11, 2014. During that period, he orchestrated the importation of MDPV and Alpha-PVP — potent stimulants marketed as ‘bath salts’ — shipped directly from China. Hamel used wire transfers to pay for the substances, which were then repackaged and funneled through dealers across Penobscot County, selling for $100 or more per gram.
Law enforcement officials described the operation as both brazen and dangerous. The synthetic drugs, known to cause psychosis, paranoia, and violent behavior, flooded local streets under Hamel’s direction. His operation relied on online smuggling, exploiting gaps in customs oversight to deliver bulk quantities that fueled an underground market thriving on addiction and desperation.
On March 11, 2014, the operation collapsed when agents moved in and arrested Hamel at his residence. In a raid coordinated by multiple federal and state agencies, two rifles were seized from his home — weapons obtained in direct exchange for bath salts. Because Hamel had a prior felony conviction for marijuana trafficking, he was legally barred from possessing firearms, making the charges automatic enhancements under federal law.
The investigation was a joint effort by the Maine Drug Enforcement Agency, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations. Officials said the collaboration was critical in tracking international shipments, wire transfers, and local distribution networks tied to Hamel’s operation.
U.S. Attorney Thomas E. Delahanty II emphasized that the sentence sends a clear message: trafficking in dangerous synthetic drugs and flouting gun laws carries severe consequences. For Edwin Hamel, that price is ten long years behind bars — time bought not with cash, but with the wreckage left by bath salts on Maine’s vulnerable communities.
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Key Facts
- State: Maine
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Drug Trafficking|Weapons
- Source: Official Source ↗
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