AUGUSTA — An Augusta man was arrested on multiple drug trafficking charges early this week after he allegedly sold cocaine and heroin to a confidential informant on three occasions during a monthslong investigation by the Maine Drug Enforcement Agency.
On Monday, police arrested Maurice Wilson, 37, after they saw him leave an apartment at 38 Water St. in a Dodge sedan with several people, according to court documents at the Capital Judicial Center. After stopping the vehicle, they charged Wilson with three counts of aggravated trafficking of scheduled drugs, a class A felony punishable by up to 30 years in jail.
Wilson told police that he sold the drugs to support his own addiction, according to an affidavit written by Todd Chilton, a special agent with the Maine Drug Enforcement Agency. The agents made the arrest with assistance from the Kennebec County Sheriff’s Office.
During that traffic stop, police also arrested Ashley Ward, 33, of Wiscasset, after they searched her purse and found two needles and a brown substance that appeared to be heroin, according to a separate affidavit written by Nathan Walker, an officer for the Maine Drug Enforcement Agency.
In court, Ward has been charged with unlawful possession of scheduled drugs and violating conditions of release, because of an earlier theft charge.
During Wilson’s initial court appearance Wednesday, prosecutors filed a complaint that charged him with additional counts of violating conditions of release, unlawful trafficking in scheduled drugs, and unlawful possession of scheduled drugs. At the time of his arrest, court records show, Wilson was already subject to bail conditions for unidentified prior charges.
Some of the charges against Wilson were classified as aggravated because each of the alleged drug deals occurred within a certain distance of areas the city has designated as safe zones. According to state law, safe zones are areas frequented by children.
On Jan. 8, Wilson allegedly sold a half gram of cocaine on Swan Street, about 800 feet from the Kennebec River Rail Trail, according to Chilton’s affidavit.
On Jan. 29, he allegedly sold 1 gram of heroin in a parking lot on Mount Vernon Avenue, 350 feet from a baseball field. On March 1, he allegedly sold 1 gram of cocaine base at a different location on Mount Vernon Avenue, about 200 feet from Bond Brook Mini Park. Chilton accused Wilson of receiving a total of $350 in those alleged transactions.
Wilson is being held at the Kennebec County jail in lieu of $40,000 cash bail. Among the conditions of his release is a prohibition on leaving the state of Maine, havingcontact with Ward or returning to the location of his alleged drug deals.