The Maine Drug Enforcement Agency says six people have been charged with smuggling LSD and Suboxone into Two Bridges Regional Jail in Wiscasset.
Kyle Brady, 19, of Topsham, Alexander Laurelez, 23, of Topsham, and Devin Leonard, 26, of Wiscasset, each face one count of class B aggravated furnishing of schedule W drugs and one count of class C trafficking in prison contraband.
Brianna Ayers, 23, of Lewiston; a 17-year-old girl from Topsham; and George Markos, 29, of Bath, each face one count of class C unlawful furnishing of schedule W drugs and one count of class C trafficking in prison contraband.
All the charges against the six are felonies.
In January, MDEA agents from the Midcoast District Task Force and investigators at Two Bridges Regional Jail began investigating the smuggling of drugs into the jail
The investigation focused on Laurelez, who allegedly enlisted Brady and the 17-year-old to mail him LSD and Suboxone while he was an inmate at the jail, according to a press release from Maine Department of Public Safety spokesman Stephen McCausland.
Laurelez allegedly instructed the two to hide the drugs between pieces of paper inside an envelope marked as “legal correspondence” and mailed to fellow inmate Markos, according to the press release.
The envelopes had a return address of a Maine law firm to give the appearance they contained legal papers in an attempt to prevent jail authorities from opening them. The law firm had no knowledge of or involvement in the scheme, according to the press release.
The investigation revealed that Leonard, another inmate, allegedly coordinated with Laurelez to have Suboxone smuggled to him. Leonard had his girlfriend, Ayers, mail Suboxone to the teenager, who then mailed the letters to the jail, according to the press release.
On Feb. 27, jail investigators intercepted an envelope addressed to Markos that contained 17 Suboxone strips and three tabs of LSD.
On Saturday, April 20, Laurelez, who had been released, was rearrested in Topsham and transported back to Two Bridges Regional Jail. Bail was set at $10,000 cash.
The juvenile was charged and released to her parents.
Leonard was charged at Androscoggin County Jail, where he was being held on unrelated charges. Bail was set at $5,000 cash.
Brady was charged at the Cumberland County Jail, where he is being held on a probation hold. No bail was set.
Markos was charged at Two Bridges, where he is still an inmate on a probation violation. No bail was set.
Ayers was arrested in Lewiston on Tuesday, April 23 and taken to the Androscoggin County Jail.
In addition to jail investigators, the Sagadahoc County Sheriff’s Office and the Topsham Police Department assisted in the case.
Suboxone is a prescription medicine that contains the active ingredients buprenorphine and naloxone. It is used to treat adults who are dependent on opioids.
LSD stands for lysergic acid diethylamide, a psychedelic drug that produces hallucinations.
