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Drug Situation: Marijuana, locally grown and also imported from Canada, Massachusetts, and New York, remains the primary drug of abuse in Maine; nevertheless, the use and availability of cocaine, heroin, and diverted pharmaceuticals continues to be problematic. Methamphetamine remains a minor concern; however, a border incident involving “Yaba” was reported recently and law enforcement in northern communities are on the alert for Canadian-produced “Extreme Ecstasy.” A significant potential exists for methamphetamine production and distribution in the state. Interstate 95 provides an important north-south transportation route for traffickers traveling to sources of supply in several northeastern Massachusetts cities. Maine’s 228 miles of coastline and 3,478 miles of shoreline offer ample opportunities for smugglers.

Cocaine: Cocaine is available throughout the state in fractional-ounce to kilogram quantities. Traffickers typically travel by motor vehicle to meet cocaine suppliers, generally Dominican violators based in Lawrence, Lowell, and Lynn, MA; however, cocaine has been imported from as far away as New York and New Jersey. The popularity of crack cocaine continues to increase in southern and central Maine communities, with Portland and Lewiston serving as the main distribution points for dealers.

Heroin: Massachusetts-based Dominican traffickers continue to be the primary suppliers of high quality heroin to the Maine distributors. These distributors, who typically transport the drug in passenger vehicles, provide for a moderately increasing availability of heroin in the state. While use is more prevalent in southern communities, it is also encountered in coastal and Canadian-border communities and has spread into rural and remote areas.

Methamphetamine: Methamphetamine is becoming a matter of concern in Maine. Abuse and availability have increased in Aroostook County, as evidenced by reports of “Yaba” and “Enhanced Ecstasy” seizures at the northernmost border points. Low-quality methamphetamine is express-mailed into the state from California and the southwestern states. Trafficking groups supplying methamphetamine to the state generally are connected to outlaw motorcycle clubs or are involved with “raves.” Maine’s size and predominantly rural population create an ideal environment for large-scale methamphetamine manufacturing.

Club Drugs: Law-enforcement officials in southern Maine continue to encounter MDMA use, most often associated with rave parties and the student population. Suspected Canadian-produced “Enhanced Ecstasy” has been encountered at the northern border.

Marijuana: Marijuana, historically the illicit drug of choice in the state, is plentiful and readily available. Year-round indoor grows are common, but high-grade marijuana cultivated in Canada is smuggled over the border. Commercial-grade marijuana is often obtained from middlemen in the southern New England states and New York. Hashish is available sporadically in small quantities, but the increasing popularity of hashish in Canada may change the situation in Maine. Traffickers occasionally have moved hashish and hash oil through Maine and into Canada. Caucasian traffickers typically supply locally grown marijuana as well as marijuana shipped from the southwest border and Canada. Shipments ranging from 15 to 500 pounds historically enter the state via Interstate 95 in automobiles, campers, rental trucks, and tractor-trailers.

Marijuana Legislation: Maine has a number of statutes related to marijuana possession, cultivation, trafficking, therapeutic research programs, paraphernalia, illegal importation, and asset forfeiture. These laws are often cited as the reason that Maine residents must travel to obtain their illicit drugs from out-of-state traffickers wary of the state’s tough drug laws.

Other Drugs: PCP purchased in Boston, MA is available in the southern portion of the state; LSD, available in gelcap form, is abused by young students; and psilocybin mushrooms, most often obtained from commercially available cultivation kits, are available in Maine. Khat continues to find its way into ethnic communities in Lewiston and Portland.

Pharmaceutical Diversion: The state continues to experience an increase in the availability of diverted pharmaceuticals. Oxycodone products such as Percocet®, Roxicet®, Dilaudid® , and OxyContin® are readily available. Doctor-shopping schemes, falsified prescriptions, and illicit sale and distribution by health-care professionals and workers are the primary diversion methods. Canadian pharmaceuticals also continue to be smuggled into the state. Current investigations indicate that OxyContin® diversion continues to be a problem in Maine. Methadone has also been identified as being among the most commonly abused and diverted pharmaceuticals in Maine.

DEA Mobile Enforcement Teams: This cooperative program with state and local law-enforcement counterparts was conceived in 1995 in response to the overwhelming problem of drug-related violent crime in towns and cities across the nation. Since the inception of the MET Program, 473 deployments have been completed nationwide, resulting in 19,643 arrests. Since the inception of the program, there has been one MET deployment in Maine, in Lewiston.

DEA Regional Enforcement Teams: Designed to augment existing DEA division resources, this program was conceived in 1999 in response to the threat posed by drug trafficking organizations that have established networks of cells to conduct drug-trafficking operations in smaller, non-traditional trafficking locations in the United States. As of January 31, 2005, there have been 27 deployments nationwide, and one deployment in the U.S. Virgin Islands, resulting in 671 arrests. There have been no RET deployments in the state of Maine.

Other Enforcement Operations: Interstate 95, “The New England Pipeline,” remains the interdiction focus in Maine since it travels through the interior of the state, connects several of the larger cities, and terminates at the Canadian border.

More information about the New England Division Office.

Sources

Factsheet last updated: 3/2008

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