BANGOR, Maine — A Caribou man was sentenced Tuesday in U.S. District Court to nearly four years in federal prison for his role in a bath salts distribution ring that operated in The County between January 2012 and June 1, 2014.
Nathan “Nate” Brewer, 36, also was sentenced to three years of supervised release.
U.S. District Judge John Woodcock sentenced Brewer to a total of 73 months but gave him credit for the 27 months he has served on state charges for his role in distributing bath salts in Aroostook County. As a result, Brewer will serve 46 additional months on the federal charge.
Brewer waived indictment and pleaded guilty in January 2015 to a drug conspiracy charge.
He was part of a drug conspiracy that was described Jan. 11 by Assistant U.S. Attorney Joel Casey at the sentencing of a co-conspirator as “more of a community of bath salt users” than the more typical top-down distribution ring run by drug dealers from out-of-state.
He joined the conspiracy in the fall of 2013 and remained involved through the spring of 2014, according to the prosecution version of events to which he pleaded guilty. Brewer, along with co-conspirators, ordered bath salts from China over the internet for his own use and would sell the drug to others.
In sentencing Brewer, Woodcock called bath salts “a scourge” on The County. The judge said the conspiracy of which Brewer was a part was responsible for distributing more than 26,000 doses of the drug, “an astonishing amount.”
“The population of Presque Isle, where you grew up and attended school, Mr. Brewer is about 10,000 people,” the judge said Tuesday. That is nearly three doses of the drug for every man, woman and child in town.”
Brewer faced up to 20 years in federal prison and a $1 million fine. Assistant U.S. Attorney Andrew McCormack recommend a sentence of 78 months including the 27 already served on the state charges. Defense attorney Hunter Tzovarras of Bangor urged Woodcock to impose a total of 70 months.
