Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives

BANGOR, Maine: A Caribou man pleaded guilty today in U.S. District Court in Bangor for his role in a conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine and fentanyl.

According to court records, between January 2018 and December 2021, James King, 54, along with others, trafficked methamphetamine and fentanyl in Penobscot and Aroostook counties and elsewhere. King knowingly and intentionally joined and participated in the conspiracy.

To date, eight of the 21 defendants in this and related cases have been sentenced and nine of the remaining 13 defendants have pleaded guilty.

King faces 10 years to life in prison and a fine up to $10 million followed by five years to life of supervised release. He will be sentenced after the completion of a presentence investigative report by the U.S. Probation Office. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration; Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; and Maine Drug Enforcement Agency investigated the case. Assistance was provided by the police departments in Orono, Bangor, Brewer, Caribou, Presque Isle and Houlton. U.S. Attorney Darcie McElwee also recognized the cooperation and coordination provided by the Maine State Attorney General’s Office and the Aroostook County District Attorney’s Office.

Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces: This prosecution is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) investigation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations that threaten the United States by using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks.