A Wiscasset man with prior convictions for drug crimes and sexual assault was sentenced to 5 1/2 years in prison Tuesday, May 26 for trafficking in the dangerous narcotic fentanyl.
Fermin A. “Chevy” Sawtell, 40, formerly of Bath and Dresden, pleaded guilty to class A aggravated trafficking in schedule W drugs (fentanyl) and class D misuse of public benefits instrument in Lincoln County Superior Court May 18, according to court documents.
The state dismissed a count of class C illegal importation of scheduled drugs.
The prosecutor, Maine Assistant Attorney General Jamie Guerrette, and the defense attorney, Justin Andrus, jointly recommended the 5 1/2-year sentence for the aggravated trafficking charge. Justice Daniel Billings accepted the sentence.
Sawtell must also pay $535 in fines. He will serve a concurrent six-month sentence for the misuse of public benefits instrument charge, which relates to his possession of an electronic benefits transfer card without state authorization.
Sawtell has prior felony drug convictions from Hillsborough County, Fla. in 1999, according to his March 12 indictment.
He is a lifetime registrant on the Maine Sex Offender Registry as a result of a conviction for felonious sexual assault in New Hampshire and two misdemeanor convictions for failure to comply with Maine registration requirements.
Sawtell is in custody at the Maine State Prison in Warren.
Sawtell has three co-defendants in the case: Tabitha Brooks, 28, of Rochester, N.H.; Chad L. Hedman, 37, of Augusta; and Amy M. Varney, 20, of Woolwich.
Maine Drug Enforcement Agency personnel executed a search warrant in room 7A of the Schooner Inn in Wiscasset at about 4 a.m. Sept. 25, 2014.
Sawtell and Varney were inside the room, allegedly packaging the drugs for resale, Special Agent Chad Carleton said in an affidavit. The agents recovered 4-5 grams of fentanyl, two digital scales, two hypodermic needles, and packaging material.
Varney allegedly said she and Sawtell had recently picked up the drugs in Rochester, N.H. and returned to sell them in the Bath and Wiscasset area, Carleton said. Varney said she and Sawtell had made similar trips about twice a week for a few months.
Court documents do not detail Brooks’ or Hedman’s involvement in the case.
Brooks faces a single count each of class B unlawful trafficking in schedule W drugs (fentanyl) and class C illegal importation of scheduled drugs.
Hedman faces a single count each of class B unlawful trafficking in schedule W drugs (fentanyl), class C illegal importation of scheduled drugs, and class D unlawful possession of schedule W drug (fentanyl).
Varney faces a single count each of class B unlawful trafficking in schedule W drugs (fentanyl), class D misuse of public benefits instrument, and class D unlawful possession of schedule W drug (fentanyl).
Brooks, Hedman, and Varney are due to make their next appearances in superior court at 8:30 a.m. June 8, 8:30 a.m. June 22, and July 20, respectively.
According to the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency, fentanyl is “up to 100 times more powerful than morphine and 30-50 times more powerful than heroin.”
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention blamed nonpharmaceutical fentanyl for 1,013 fatal overdoses from 2005-2007 in a study area consisting of just a few major cities.
“Last year, you started seeing it again, and we’re starting to see it in Maine as well, with straight-up fentanyl and fentanyl being cut with heroin – we’re seeing cases of that as well,” Guerrette said earlier this year.
The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration issued a nationwide alert about the dangers of fentanyl and the “alarming rate” of recent overdoses in March.
