AUBURN, Maine (AP) — Workers of a Maine restaurant bought a shock after they opened a big picket crate that they thought was a cargo of mugs that they had not too long ago ordered.
As an alternative, they discovered a plastic tote that contained what legislation enforcement suspect is 14 kilograms (31 kilos) of the highly effective artificial opioid fentanyl with an estimated avenue worth of $3 million, Auburn police Deputy Chief Timothy Cougle stated in a press release Saturday.
The tote had a transport label with the restaurant’s deal with however the title of somebody who didn’t work there. Workers who opened it noticed what they thought seemed like medication, so that they contacted police, Cougle stated.
The crate from Arizona that arrived within the Maine city about 30 miles (50 kilometers) north of Portland was taken to the police division, the place a chemical subject examination confirmed it contained fentanyl.
About an hour later, the person whose title was on the cargo confirmed up searching for the crate and was arrested, police stated.
Jeremy Mercier, 41, of Auburn, was charged with drug offenses and for violating bail circumstances. He’s being held in a county jail with out bail. It couldn’t be decided if he had an legal professional.
Mercier beforehand frolicked behind bars on a 2007 federal drug conviction, Cougle stated.
The investigation is ongoing, and Cougle stated he anticipates state and federal legislation enforcement getting concerned.
Mike Peters, the co-owner of Mac’s Grill, instructed WMTW-TV in an e-mail that he’s glad the medication didn’t make it to the streets.
“The situations of overdose in our, and surrounding, communities is terrible, and fentanyl appears to be entrance and middle in relation to fatalities,” he stated. “It is rather unhappy.”