Mansfield Man Faces Drug Charge in Maine

A Mansfield man and a travel companion are being held by the Maine Drug Enforcement Agency (MDEA) after police found hundreds of doses of heroin stashed inside their car.

It seems that the pair caught the attention of U.S. Customs & Border Protection at the CBP Area Port of Entry in Houlton after they missed a highway exit and entered Canada on Sunday morning, according to the MDEA.

It was about 11 a.m. on March 6, when MDEA agents assigned to the Aroostook District Task Force were notified by U.S. Customs & Border Protection Officers that they were detaining two men for drug violations at the Houlton Port of Entry, according to a police report.

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According to police, the pair claimed to be traveling to Caribou from Connecticut for a birthday party but missed the Houlton exit and crossed the border into Canada.

"Canadian officials conducted a customs search of the vehicle locating materials and packaging consistent with illegal drug trafficking, however officers didn't find any illegal drugs," according to the report.

The two were sent back to the United States.

Upon re-entry into Maine, customs and border patrol agents conducted another search of the vehicle. A drug recognition canine alerted to the presence of illegal drugs around the vehicles wheel wells and agents seized two bags of suspected heroin concealed in two locations of the trunk.

The total weight of the suspected heroin was approximately 66 grams — the equivalent of 660 doses, police said. The packing materials were also seized along with $640 in suspected drug proceeds. Police estimated street value of the seized heroin is $20,000.

Police identified the suspects as Francisco Vasquez, 34, of Mansfield, and Sammy Rodriguez, 32, of Bronx, NY. They each were charged with aggravated trafficking in heroin, a Class A felony, according to police.

Vasquez and Rodriguez were brought to the Aroostook County Jail where bail was set at $25,000 cash each.

Police said they are continuing their investigation.

Photo: Suspected heroin seized from the car of a Mansfield man by the Maine Drug Enforcement Agency. Credit: Maine Drug Enforcement Agency via Facebook.