By Kathy McCarty
Staff Writer
FORT FAIRFIELD — A local man was sentenced Aug. 5 in U.S. District Court in Bangor to serve 12 and a half years in federal prison for his role in selling methamphetamine pills in northern Maine.
In addition, Wade Butler, 50, of Fort Fairfield, was sentenced to five years of supervised release and ordered to pay a $1,000 fine.
The case dates back to Sept. 29, 2009, when Butler was arrested after an acquaintance was caught attempting to cross the border with methamphetamine and Oxycodone in his vehicle. According to court records, Anthony Black, 37, of Perth, New Brunswick, was caught earlier that day crossing the border with more than 2,100 methamphetamine and 82 Oxycodone pills hidden in the bumper of his pickup. The pills were discovered when Black entered the U.S. at the Fort Fairfield crossing. His white Dodge Dakota pickup was referred for a secondary inspection, at which time the stash was discovered when a narcotics detection dog named Griff alerted to the front bumper of the truck, indicating the presence of drugs. The pills were located hidden inside water bottles behind the bumper, according to court documents.
Court documents indicate Black eventually led law enforcement officers to Butler’s house, where investigators discovered an additional 1,000 methamphetamine pills in the basement of his home and about $14,000 in cash hidden in a Crown Royal bag inside a cooler. Black reportedly told authorities at the time that he expected to be paid by Butler for delivering the pills to the Fort Fairfield residence.
Butler was charged with possession with intent to distribute controlled substances and released on $5,000 unsecured bail. Black was charged with the importation of a controlled substance.
Black was sentenced in June to three years and seven months in federal prison after pleading guilty to a drug conspiracy charge.
In March, Butler pleaded guilty of possession with intent to distribute controlled substances. He had been held without bail since then. That time will be credited to his sentence.
Both men had faced up to 20 years in prison and fines of up to $250,000. Under the prevailing federal sentencing guidelines, Butler faced between 11 years and three months and 14 years in prison.
