Two men arrested in Waldoboro last October have pleaded guilty to felony trafficking charges after law enforcement found hundreds of oxycodone pills on one of them.
Louis Atkinson, 25, of Greene, Maine, and Staten Island, N.Y., and James Chamberlain, 39, of Waldoboro, were in the process of selling oxycodone to a teenager Oct. 19 when they were arrested by personnel from the Maine Drug Enforcement Agency, Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office, Waldoboro Police Department, Maine State Police, and Maine Warden Service, according to an MDEA press release.
The arrests followed a three-month investigation, according to the release.
Atkinson pleaded guilty Aug. 8 to two class A felony charges of aggravated trafficking of scheduled drugs, and a class C charge of illegal importation of scheduled drugs was dismissed.
A grand jury indicted Atkinson in December, charging that he trafficked in oxycodone with a juvenile, and trafficked in 300 or more pills or other forms of narcotics other than heroin that, in total, contained 8,000 milligrams or more of oxycodone or 1,000 milligrams or more of hydromorphone.
Atkinson was found in possession of 342 30-milligram oxycodone pills, according to an affidavit by MDEA agent Scott Quintero. The street value of the pills was in excess of $15,000, according to the agency’s press release.
Atkinson was sentenced to 10 years in prison with all but six years suspended, followed by four years probation, and a total of $800 in fines, according to court documents.
As part of his probation, Atkinson will not be allowed to use or possess illegal drugs or alcohol, will be subject to random searching and testing for such, and will have to complete counseling and treatment for substance abuse. He will also be prohibited from contact with Chamberlain and the teenager.
Chamberlain pleaded guilty April 22 to unlawful trafficking in schedule W drugs, a class B felony, and violating condition of release, a class E misdemeanor, according to court documents and personnel.
Chamberlain was originally indicted in December on a class A aggravated trafficking charge, but as part of the plea, the charge was amended to remove language describing Chamberlain as being armed with a firearm as part of the offense.
Chamberlain was found with a loaded 9mm handgun at the time of his arrest, which he allegedly admitted was to protect himself during the drug deals, according to Quintero’s affidavit. The pistol was forfeited to the state.
Two other charges against Chamberlain, another class B unlawful trafficking in schedule W drugs (Ritalin) and a class E charge of having a loaded firearm in a motor vehicle, were dismissed, according to court documents.
Chamberlain’s sentencing had not yet been scheduled as of Aug. 11, court personnel said.
