More than 2 pounds of fentanyl seized in Bucksport drug bust

A search warrant for a Bucksport residence recently turned up approximately 2 pounds of fentanyl and more than $30,000 in suspected drug proceeds.

A search warrant for a camp on Toddy Pond on the Gus Moore Road in Penobscot, a Hancock County town, was executed on the evening of July 13, following a monthslong investigation by the Maine State Police, Maine Drug Enforcement Agency and the Bucksport Police Department into the distribution of scheduled drugs throughout Hancock County, according to Shannon Moss, a spokesperson for the Maine Department of Public Safety. While searching the residence, officers recovered approximately 1.5 pounds of fentanyl and approximately $30,000.

Christopher Warford, 34, and Jamie Ward, 37, both of Bucksport were arrested on July 13 and charged with Class A aggravated trafficking in Schedule W drugs, according to Moss. Both Warford and Ward were transported to the Hancock County Jail, and both are being held on $50,000 cash bail.

Jessica Adams, 35, of Verona Island was arrested on July 13 on a charge of Class A aggravated trafficking in Schedule W drugs, but was released from the Hancock County Jail after bail was set and then waived.

On July 15, a vehicle from Massachusetts was stopped on Interstate 95 in Hampden in connection with the drug trafficking investigation, Moss said. After a search warrant was executed, officers recovered an additional half pound of fentanyl, and an investigation determined that the vehicle had been en-route to the Bucksport camp that had been searched earlier in the week.

In total, 1 kilogram, or 2.2 pounds, of fentanyl were recovered by investigators.

Braile Hernandez Perez, 25 of Methuen, Massachusetts, and Maykel Antonio Arias Aybar, 28, of Dorchester, Massachusetts, were arrested and charged with Class A aggravated trafficking in Schedule W drugs. Both Perez and Aybar were transported to the Penobscot County Jail, where they are being held on $50,000 cash bail, according to Moss.

An ongoing investigation has been opened by the Maine DEA, Maine State Police and Bucksport Police Department.

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