WATERVILLE — A months-long drug trafficking investigation ended in arrests of two Sidney residents, spurred by a June southern Maine arrest of a third man police say is a major supplier from New York.
Ryan Farnham, 27, of Sidney, and Brooke M. Whitney, 26, of Sidney, were arrested Tuesday at 4:20 p.m. during a motor vehicle stop on College Avenue in Waterville.
Farnham allegedly had $485 in cash and 3.5 grams of heroin when he was arrested. He was charged with three counts of aggravated trafficking of scheduled drugs, a Class A felony; two counts of criminal conspiracy, a Class B felony; and unlawful possession of a scheduled drug, a Class D misdemeanor.
Whitney was carrying smaller amounts of crack cocaine, a crack pipe and heroin, police allege. She was charged with two counts of unlawful possession of a scheduled drug, a Class D misdemeanor; criminal conspiracy, a Class B felony; aggravated trafficking of scheduled drugs, a Class A felony; and violating a condition of release, a Class E misdemeanor.
They were both taken to the Kennebec County jail in Augusta.
Waterville Police Chief Joseph Massey said Wednesday police were led to Farnham and Whitney following the June arrest of Larnell Hughes, 39, of Bronx, New York, in Cumberland County.
Waterville Detective Duane Cloutier started his investigation when he heard a person who went by the street name L was bringing a large amount of drugs into the Waterville area, Massey said. The other names surfaced as the investigation continued, Massey said Wednesday.
Police identified L as Hughes, who arrived in Portland by bus and was arrested June 8 by Maine State Police on a cocaine trafficking charge, a Class B felony punishable by up to 30 years in jail and $50,000 in fines.
The Whitney and Farnham arrests were a culmination of a four-month investigation by Cloutier, who was assisted by Maine State Police, the Kennebec County Sheriff’s Office and the Maine Drug Enforcement Agency, according to Massey.
When Hughes was arrested, he allegedly had 58 grams of crack cocaine, which sells for about $85 per gram, in his possession. He was taken to the Cumberland County Jail.
“They don’t come in with pounds of drugs,” Massey said, referring to suppliers who distribute drugs into Maine. He said their strategy is to bring in smaller quantities and distribute them quickly.
Madeline St. Amour – 861-9239
mstamour@centralmaine.com
Twitter: @madelinestamour
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