A Sidney man was ordered to serve 42 months in federal prison for his role in a drug conspiracy that brought drugs from Rochester, New York, to buyers in central Maine.
Derek Blake, 32, was sentenced Monday in U.S. District Court in Bangor. He has been in custody since July 18, 2017.
In May he had pleaded guilty to charges of conspiracy to distribute, and to possess with intent to distribute heroin and cocaine base as well as to “using/maintaining a drug-involved premises and aiding and abetting.”
Blake is to be on three years supervised release once he completes his prison sentence.
He was one of 16 people charged in the conspiracy that was headed by Darrell Newton, 39, also known as “Coast and D-Coast” of Rochester, New York. Newton pleaded guilty Friday to conspiracy to distribute more than 1 kilogram of heroin, more than 280 grams of crack cocaine, and fentanyl. While he will be sentenced later, he signed a plea agreement Friday in which the government agreed to recommend no more than 300 months in prison, and Newton waived his right to appeal any sentence of 276 months or less.
The prosecution’s version of events says the conspiracy operated June 14, 2015 to March 9, 2017, and that Blake was one of the central Maine residents who help transport and distribute the drugs.
“He allowed co-conspirators from Rochester to sell drugs out of the residence that he shared with codefendant Amanda Ware,” wrote Assistant U.S. Attorney Joel Casey in court documents. “He middled drug deals and introduced co-conspirators from Rochester to customers in central Maine.”
Casey also wrote that a number of cooperating witnesses would testify that they purchased drugs from that residence.
Blake was represented by attorney Zachary Brandmeir.
Two years ago Blake and Amanda Ware were arrested on state drug charges after police raided their home on Shepard Drive in Sidney. Seized at the residence were 1 ounce of crack cocaine, 8 grams of heroin, a half-pound pound of marijuana and $1,000 cash, according to a report from the Kennebec County Sheriff’s Office.
Ware pleaded guilty to a federal charge of maintaining a drug-involved premises and aiding and abetting and was sentenced in July to time served as placed on supervised release for three years.
Betty Adams — 621-5631
Twitter: @betadams
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