A Westport Island man pleaded guilty to importing and trafficking heroin May 6, but will wait until December for his sentence, according to court documents.
Nickolas J. Buscanera, 22, pleaded guilty to class B unlawful trafficking in schedule W drugs and class C illegal importation of scheduled drugs. He also agreed to forfeit $770 seized during his arrest.
The Maine Drug Enforcement Agency started investigating Buscanera and his girlfriend, Stephanie M. Little, 25, of Edgecomb, in 2014 after receiving information that the couple was buying heroin in Massachusetts for resale in the Bath and Wiscasset area.
Agents observed a number of suspected heroin transactions and obtained a warrant to attach an electronic tracking device to Buscanera’s car. On May 15, the device showed the car depart Maine and stop briefly in Lynn, Mass. before returning to Maine.
The Maine Drug Enforcement Agency and the Sagadahoc County Sheriff’s Office stopped the vehicle in Woolwich late that night and seized 50 grams of heroin.
A gram of heroin sells for approximately $140-$180 in Maine, according to Assistant Attorney General Jamie Guerrette, the prosecutor for the state. The figure would make the total value of the heroin about $7,000-$9,000.
A Sagadahoc County grand jury indicted Buscanera and Little on one charge each of class A aggravated trafficking in schedule W drugs and class C illegal importation of scheduled drugs Oct. 15, 2014.
The state reduced the class A charge against Buscanera to class B unlawful trafficking in schedule W drugs. The new charge removes language regarding the quantity of heroin.
Little pleaded guilty to the original charges March 4. She is currently serving a 3 1/2-year prison sentence for the class C charge at the Maine Correctional Center in Windham. The court will impose sentence for the class A charge Feb. 24, 2016.
Class A, B, and C crimes carry maximum sentences of 30 years, 10 years, and five years in prison, respectively.
Buscanera will return to court for his sentence hearing at the West Bath courthouse at 2:30 p.m. Dec. 9.
Buscanera also pleaded guilty to a class E count of violation of condition of release in a related case May 6. He was sentenced to 60 days in jail. The state dismissed a count of class C unlawful possession of scheduled drug in exchange for his guilty plea in that case.
The charges in the second case stem from Buscanera’s Aug. 5, 2014 arrest in Woolwich for allegedly possessing heroin and violating bail conditions, according to court documents.