A Maine restaurant employee was surprised when he opened a large wooden box believed to be a recent shipment of mugs.
AUBURN, Maine — A restaurant employee in Maine was surprised to open a large wooden crate, believed to be a recent shipment of mugs.
Auburn Police Deputy Chief Timothy Coogle said in a statement on Saturday that instead, the law enforcement suspect was 14 kilograms (31 pounds) of the potent synthetic opioid fentanyl, estimated to be worth $3 million. I found a dollar plastic tote.
The tote bag had a shipping label with the address of the restaurant, but the name of someone who didn’t work there. The employee who opened it saw what appeared to be drugs and called the police, Coogle said.
Arriving in a town in Maine about 30 miles (50 km) north of Portland, the box from Arizona was taken to the police station, where chemical tests confirmed it contained fentanyl.
About an hour later, the man whose name was on the shipment turned up looking for the box and was arrested, according to police.
Auburn’s 41-year-old Jeremy Mercier has been charged with drug offenses and bail violations. He is being held in county jail without bail. It was not possible to determine if he had an attorney.
Mercier previously spent time in prison following a 2007 federal drug conviction, Coogle said.
The investigation is ongoing, and Coogle said he expects state and federal law enforcement to get involved.
Mike Peters, co-owner of Mac’s Grill, told WMTW-TV in an email that he was glad drugs weren’t on the streets.
“The examples of overdoses in our and surrounding communities are terrible, and fentanyl seems to be front and center when it comes to mortality,” he said. “It’s so sad.”
