Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives

PORTLAND, Maine — A South Portland man pleaded guilty today in U.S. District Court in Portland to possession of a firearm by a prohibited person and possession of fentanyl and cocaine with intent to distribute.

According to court records, in April 2023, law enforcement located Joshua Hopkins, 33, who had an active state arrest warrant, at a South Portland hotel. A search of a backpack Hopkins had been wearing revealed multiple scales, a single round of 7.62 mm x 39 mm ammunition, a blender that contained suspected fentanyl powder, smaller containers of additional suspected fentanyl powder, bags of suspected cocaine, and what appeared to be a substance used to “cut” drugs. A man with Hopkins told officers that Hopkins supplied him with drugs and had left a rifle and personal belongings in his car. Officers found a black Norinco SKS-style rifle in the vehicle. The round of ammunition in the backpack matched the caliber of the rifle. Hopkins is prohibited from possessing firearms due to prior felony convictions.

Hopkins faces up to 15 years in prison on the gun charge and five to 40 years on the drug charge, with maximum fines of $250,000 and $5 million, respectively. He will be sentenced after the completion of a presentence investigation report by the U.S. Probation Office. A federal district judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors.

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, South Portland Police Department, Maine Drug Enforcement Agency and U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration investigated the case. 

###