PARIS — The Maine Drug Enforcement Agency arrested a Paris man this week who was reportedly in possession of 119 grams of cocaine, more than $200,000 in cash and more than 125 firearms between his Paris and Poland residences.
Richard Fitts, 60, of 52 Durgin Road was charged Wednesday with aggravated trafficking of cocaine, a schedule w drug, according to a news release from the Maine Drug Enforcement Agency. He was being held Friday at the Oxford County Jail on $200,000 cash bail and is scheduled to appear in Paris District Court on Tuesday, a corrections officer said.
The MDEA Western District Task Force executed a search warrant of Fitts’ residence as part of an ongoing investigation involving cocaine trafficking in the Oxford Hills area.
In addition to the cocaine, authorities seized four firearms and $47,000 in suspected drug proceeds at the residence. Additionally, officers located scales, packaging and other items related to drug distribution. A Maine State Police K-9 was used to help locate the illegal drugs.
The estimated street value of the cocaine is $11,000, according to the agency.
Based on evidence collected in Paris, authorities executed a second search warrant at 325 Herrick Valley Road in Poland, a residence also owned by Fitts.
Agents seized an additional $172,000 in suspected drug proceeds and additional items used in the processing and packaging of cocaine, the MDEA said.
After MDEA’s search, Maine State Police executed a second search warrant at the residence related to the reported theft of firearms suspected of being in the residence. Maine State Police seized 125 additional firearms — handguns and rifles — from the residence as part of their investigation.
During the two-month investigation, agents and officers conducted surveillance of Fitts’ residence in Paris. They stopped several motor vehicles in the area connected to subjects coming from Fitts’ residence where cocaine was purchased.
MDEA agents were assisted by Paris Police, Norway Police, the Androscoggin County Sheriff’s Office and Maine State Police.
Comments are not available on this story. Read more about why we allow commenting on some stories and not on others.
We believe it's important to offer commenting on certain stories as a benefit to our readers. At its best, our comments sections can be a productive platform for readers to engage with our journalism, offer thoughts on coverage and issues, and drive conversation in a respectful, solutions-based way. It's a form of open discourse that can be useful to our community, public officials, journalists and others.
We do not enable comments on everything — exceptions include most crime stories, and coverage involving personal tragedy or sensitive issues that invite personal attacks instead of thoughtful discussion.
You can read more here about our commenting policy and terms of use. More information is also found on our FAQs.
Show less