Naquan Eley, 33, of Brooklyn, New York, is headed to federal prison for six years after being sentenced in Portland, Maine, for his role in a heroin and crack cocaine trafficking ring that flooded Androscoggin County with deadly drugs. U.S. District Judge D. Brock Hornby handed down the sentence, which includes five years of supervised release following incarceration, after Eley pleaded guilty on October 11, 2017, to conspiracy to distribute narcotics.
The operation ran from September to December 2014, during which Eley and a network of co-conspirators transported bulk quantities of drugs from New York to Maine for street-level distribution. Court records confirm the scheme involved more than 28 grams of crack cocaine and over 100 grams of heroin—quantities that trigger enhanced federal penalties due to their weight and lethality.
Law enforcement cracked the ring on December 18, 2014, when agents raided two vacant apartments used as stash houses in Maine. Inside, they seized significant amounts of heroin, crack, and four firearms—evidence that underscored the violent potential of the operation. The takedown was part of a broader investigation that has now led to the conviction and sentencing of 27 individuals connected to the drug network.
The probe was led by the Maine Drug Enforcement Agency and the FBI, working through the Southern Maine Gang Task Force. This multi-agency coalition includes the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations, and local police from Portland, South Portland, and Lewiston.
The case was prosecuted under the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) initiative, the federal government’s primary weapon against major drug trafficking organizations. OCDETF’s mission is to dismantle high-level networks responsible for supplying illegal drugs across the country, targeting not just street dealers but the architects of distribution chains.
U.S. Attorney Halsey B. Frank emphasized that convictions like Eley’s reflect a sustained push to disrupt the flow of narcotics into rural and urban communities alike. ‘This sentence sends a clear message,’ Frank said. ‘Federal and local agencies are working together to take down every link in the drug trade—from the stash house to the street corner.’
Related Federal Cases
- Todd Rasberry ‘Champagne’ Gets 11½ Years for Heroin Distribution · Maine
- Maine, NY Crews Busted in Fentanyl, Crack Ring · Washington
- Andre Fields Sentenced to 14+ Years in Heroin, Crack Conspiracy · Maine
- Mario Lee AKA ‘Moe’ Pleads Guilty to Heroin Conspiracy · Maine
- Rosario Gets 7½ Years in Maine Heroin Ring · Massachusetts
Key Facts
- State: Maine
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Drug Trafficking
- Source: Official Source ↗
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