A 33-year-old New York City man arrested in Waterville in September has been indicted on three federal charges that say he was part of a conspiracy to possess large quantities of illegal drugs with the intent to distribute them.
Ambrose Wan, also known as “Bruno,” and whose last name is sometimes spelled “Won,” is scheduled to be arraigned Friday afternoon in U.S. District Court in Bangor. He is represented by attorney James Nixon and the prosecutor is Assistant U.S. Attorney Joel Casey.
The indictment alleges that the conspiracy took place between July 20, 2017, and Sept. 28, 2017, in Maine.
An indictment is not a determination of guilt, but it indicates that there is enough evidence to proceed with formal charges and a trial.
The federal charges say the drugs involved were more than 40 grams of a mixture containing fentanyl, 100 grams of a mixture containing heroin and 28 grams of cocaine base, amounts that enhance the penalties involved and carry minimum sentences of five years.
Wan remains behind bars in Kennebec County jail in lieu of $150,000 cash bail that was set when he was arrested on Sept. 27, 2017, following a short chase by Waterville police. Authorities say that on Sept. 27, 2017, Wan had been dropped off at Walmart by Toni Juliano, 30, of Canaan, and that the two had been renting a hotel room by in Waterville that was then searched.
He is charged in state court with three counts of aggravated trafficking — one each in fentanyl, heroin and cocaine — conspiracy to commit trafficking and unlawful possession of Suboxone as well as operating without a license. All those offenses carry September 2017 dates.
At an initial appearance hearing for Wan at the Capital Judicial Center, the state prosecutor, Assistant District Attorney Tyler LeClair, told a judge that police located 109 grams of fentanyl, 97.2 grams of cocaine, 75.9 grams of heroin and suboxone strips, drug paraphernalia and cash when they searched the couple’s Waterville hotel room on Sept. 27, 2017.
An affidavit by Waterville Police Officer Duane Cloutier, filed at the Capital Judicial Center, says there was a separate seizure at another Waterville hotel on Sept. 26, 2017, and that the drugs from both raids total more than two-thirds of a kilogram and carried a street value of over $100,000.
On Dec. 31, 2017, Juliano pleaded guilty in federal court to “possession with the intent to distribute 100 grams or more of cocaine base and an unspecified quantity of cocaine,” that occurred Sept. 6, 2017, as well as to “possession with the intent to distribute 40 or more grams of fentanyl” and unspecified quantities of heroin and cocaine that occurred Sept. 27, 2017.
Her sentencing hearing has yet to be set.
Betty Adams — 621-5631
Twitter: @betadams
Send 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.