United States Drug Enforcement Administration

PORTLAND, Maine - Michael J. Ferguson Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration for New England and The United States Attorney’s Office announced that James Winbrone, 32, of Brooklyn, New York, was sentenced today in U.S. District Court by Judge D. Brock Hornby to 21 years in prison and six years of supervised release for possessing with intent to distribute heroin and distributing cocaine base, also known as crack cocaine.  He was convicted on September 30, 2015, following a two-day bench trial. 

Court records reveal that on April 10, 2014 and October 28, 2014, the defendant was involved in the distribution of heroin and crack cocaine in Lewiston.  On January 14, 2015, a search warrant executed at a Lewiston apartment used by the defendant resulted in the seizure of cocaine and heroin. The defendant’s sentence was enhanced because of his leadership position and his involvement in an act of violence related to his drug trafficking, namely, the assault of a customer who owed him a drug debt.

The investigation was conducted by the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Maine Drug Enforcement Agency, the Maine State Police, and the Southern Maine Gang Task Force, which is comprised of agents and officers from the Federal Bureau of Investigation; the Portland and Biddeford Police Departments; the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; U.S. Immigration & Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations.  Assistance was also provided by the Lewiston and Auburn Police Departments and the Androscoggin County Sheriff’s Office.