A Dresden husband and wife have pleaded guilty to trafficking heroin in Wiscasset last year.
Travis Crowley pleaded guilty April 18 and will serve nine months in jail and three years of probation. His wife, Carol A. Crowley, pleaded guilty Feb. 18 and was sentenced to three months in jail and two years of probation.
The felony charge specifically refers to the Aug. 7, 2013 sale of $100 of heroin to a Maine Drug Enforcement Agency informant wearing a recording device, Assistant District Attorney Jonathan Liberman said.
Maine Drug Enforcement Agency statements further detail the couple’s involvement in the local heroin trade.
The Crowleys, formerly of Wiscasset, would allegedly buy heroin, “cut” or mix it with inositol to increase the volume, and sell it, according to a Maine Drug Enforcement Agency press release.
An Aug. 8 search of the Crowleys’ Wiscasset residence resulted in the seizure of 3 grams of heroin, as well as the prescription drugs fentanyl, methadone and Suboxone, according to the press release. The Crowleys did not have prescriptions for the drugs.
The couple was allegedly buying the heroin from a Brooklyn, N.Y. couple.
Angel L. Miranda, 35, and Amandalee Ayala, 27, would allegedly buy the heroin in New York and import it to Maine, according to a statement by Chad Carleton, of the Maine Drug Enforcement Agency.
The agency, with a tip from an informant, set up a surveillance operation Aug. 10 on Route 1 between Brunswick and Wiscasset to stop a rental car Miranda and Ayala were driving to Wiscasset from New York.
The Wiscasset Police Department stopped the car on Route 1 in Wiscasset at about 4:15 a.m. Aug. 10. The Maine Drug Enforcement Agency searched the vehicle with the assistance of a K-9 with the Sagadahoc County Sheriff’s Office.
Ayala surrendered a sandwich bag containing 20.9 grams of heroin that had been concealed in her bra, Carleton said in his statement.
Ayala allegedly confessed to Special Agent Jason Pease that she was bringing the heroin to Maine for resale, that Miranda knew about the heroin and the purpose of the trip, and that the two had taken similar trips in the past, also to sell heroin.
Miranda pleaded guilty to felony charges of importing and trafficking heroin Jan. 30. He is serving a 3 1/2-year prison sentence at the Downeast Correctional Facility in Machiasport. He will have to pay $750 in fines and restitution after his release.
Ayala faces charges of Class A aggravated trafficking in scheduled drugs and Class C illegal importation of scheduled drugs, both felonies.
A Class A crime carries a maximum penalty of 30 years in prison and a $50,000 fine; a Class C crime carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison and a $2,000 fine.
Ayala is due to appear in Lincoln County Superior Court Monday, June 2. She is in custody at Two Bridges Regional Jail in Wiscasset. Her bail is set at $20,000 cash or $50,000 real estate.
The Crowleys pleaded guilty to Class B unlawful trafficking of scheduled drugs, a felony.
Travis Crowley will be sentenced in October. He will remain free on bail until his sentencing.
If he follows his bail conditions, he will be sentenced to five years with all but nine months suspended, plus three years of probation and a $400 fine. If he violates bail, he could receive up to the maximum sentence of 10 years in prison and a $20,000 fine.
His probation conditions will prohibit the possession or use of alcohol or illegal drugs and require him to submit to random searches and tests. He will also have to continue substance abuse treatment.
Carol A. Crowley, 26, was sentenced to two years with all but 90 days suspended and two years of probation. She has to pay $515 in fines and follow the same probation conditions as her husband.
The Crowleys also have to pay $360 in restitution to the Maine Drug Enforcement Agency.
The state, in exchange for the guilty pleas, dismissed additional felony charges of heroin trafficking and possession against both Crowleys.
