United States Drug Enforcement Administration

PORTLAND, Maine - Michael J. Ferguson Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration for New England and United States Attorney Thomas E. Delahanty II announced that Samuel Collins - , 47, of Portland, Maine, was sentenced to three years in prison and three years of supervised release in connection with charges of conspiring to distribute cocaine base, often referred to as crack cocaine.

Court records reveal that between December 2013 and January 2015, Collins conspired with others to sell crack cocaine in Portland, Maine. Members of the conspiracy would arrange for the acquisition of drugs out of state. Once the drugs were transported to Maine, they were provided to retail distributors who would sell the drugs in the Portland area. During the course of the investigation, law enforcement officers conducted controlled purchases of crack cocaine from Collins and determined that Collins let other members of the conspiracy sell drugs from his apartment.

Marco Gordon previously was sentenced to 11 years in connection with this conspiracy and Robert Joiner, Jr. was sentenced to three years.  Several other members of the conspiracy have entered guilty pleas and await sentencing.

This case was investigated by the Southern Maine Gang Task Force, which is comprised of investigators from the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Portland, South Portland, Biddeford, and Lewiston Police Departments, Homeland Security Investigations, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.  The Maine Drug Enforcement Agency and the Maine State Police also assisted with the investigation.

The case also results from the ongoing effort of the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task (OCDETF), a partnership between federal, state and local law enforcement agencies. The principal mission of the OCDETF program is to identify, disrupt and dismantle the most serious drug trafficking, weapons trafficking and money laundering organizations, and those primarily responsible for the nation’s illegal drug supply.