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A Norridgewock man is accused of drug trafficking after investigators stopped his vehicle Monday and said they found a large amount of suspected fentanyl.

The Somerset County Sheriff’s Office executed a search warrant for the person and vehicle of Michael Clapp, 30, around 11 a.m. in Norridgewock, Sheriff Dale Lancaster said in a statement Tuesday. Investigators obtained the warrant as a result of a monthslong investigation into alleged illegal drug sales in and around Somerset County.

Deputies stopped Clapp’s vehicle and searched it, Lancaster said, finding and seizing 324 grams of suspected fentanyl, a small amount of cocaine, $180 in suspected illegal drug proceeds and other items and documentation.

During the search, Clapp experienced a “possible self-induced medical event,” Lancaster said in his statement. Asked to elaborate, Lancaster said Clapp appeared to ingest something when deputies approached him.

Clapp was taken to Redington-Fairview General Hospital in Skowhegan, Lancaster said. He was not being held Tuesday at the county jail in Madison.

Clapp was charged with one Class A count of aggravated trafficking in scheduled drugs, Class C possession of scheduled drugs and Class E violation of condition of release, Lancaster said.

There were no court filings in the case as of Tuesday. Lancaster said Clapp is due to appear in court in Skowhegan on Oct. 7.

The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration says 2 milligrams of fentanyl, a synthetic opioid, can kill someone. That means the amount seized in Monday’s bust, 324 grams, is roughly equivalent to 162,000 potentially lethal doses.

Jake covers Skowhegan and Somerset County for the Morning Sentinel. He started reporting at the Morning Sentinel in November 2023. Jake grew up in Massachusetts and graduated from Tufts University. While...

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