A lengthy, continuing investigation conducted by the Somerset County Sheriff’s Office lead to the arrest of two men in Anson on drug charges.
A team of nine deputies and an MDEA agent led by Det. Lt. Carl Gottardi descended on the residence of Darrin Whipple, Sara Gagnon and Christopher Gifford at 80 Main St. with a search warrant early Friday morning, according to a press release from the Sheriff’s Office. The officers seized over 7 grams of heroin/fentanyl powder, approximately 7 grams of cocaine, sets of digital scales, drug-related documentation, controlled pills, drug-related paraphernalia, a 1996 Nissan Pathfinder motor vehicle and $1,170.00 in cash.
Whipple, 49, was charged with aggravated trafficking in a schedule W drug, Class A, heroin/fentanyl, and possession of a schedule W drug, Class C, heroin, fentanyl.
Gifford, 36, was charged with aggravated trafficking in a schedule W drug, Class A, heroin/fentanyl, and possession of a schedule W drug, Class C, heroin, fentanyl, and violation of conditions of release.
Gifford was out on bail. During a traffic stop in his Nissan Pathfinder Nov. 25 on state Route 139 in Norridgewock, 12.9 grams of heroin/fentanyl was seized from him. He was charged with possession of a schedule W drug, heroin/fentanyl. His bail conditions included no use or possession of illegal drugs.
At the time of the search of the residence, a child under 10 was present along with a 17-year-old. Fentanyl powder was found in a clothing bureau in the 10-year-old’s bedroom. The Department of Health and Human Services is handling all matters relating to the children living at the residence.
More charges are expected to be filed once the drugs seized are identified, tested and weighed and the case is reviewed by the District Attorney’s Office. The drug trafficking charges are aggravated because of the amount of drugs and because the residence is within 1,000 feet of the Garrett Schenck Elementary School in Anson.
Gifford and Whipple are incarcerated at the Somerset County Jail with bail set at $20,000 cash each. Both have an initial court appearance in the Somerset County Unified Court Feb. 7, 2018.
Copy the Story LinkSend questions/comments to the editors.
Success. Please wait for the page to reload. If the page does not reload within 5 seconds, please refresh the page.
Enter your email and password to access comments.
Hi, to comment on stories you must . This profile is in addition to your subscription and website login.
Already have a commenting profile? .
Invalid username/password.
Please check your email to confirm and complete your registration.
Only subscribers are eligible to post comments. Please subscribe or login first for digital access. Here’s why.
Use the form below to reset your password. When you've submitted your account email, we will send an email with a reset code.