PARIS — Five River Valley residents were indicted on prescription drug trafficking charges Friday in Oxford County Superior Court.
John Bernard
Melinda Blodgett
Gregg Gibbons
Robert Lemieux
Chanda Sanfratello
John P. Bernard, 46, of Mexico, Melinda M. Blodgett, 28, of Rumford, Gregg J. Gibbons, 25, of Mexico, Robert D. Lemieux, 57, of Rumford, and Chanda L. Sanfratello, 32, of Rumford were indicted on drug charges and other charges.
Bernard faces two counts of aggravated trafficking in scheduled drugs, a Class A offense, three counts of unlawful possession of scheduled drugs and violation of condition of release. Bernard was arrested Dec. 27 on charges he trafficked morphine.
Blodgett faces one charge of aggravated trafficking in scheduled drugs, a Class A offense. She was arrested Dec. 28 on charges that she trafficked Suboxone, a drug used to treat pain or opiate addiction.
Gibbons faces one charge of unlawful trafficking in scheduled drugs, a Class B offense. He was arrested Dec. 28. Police say he was trafficking in Hydrocodone, a prescription painkiller.
Lemieux faces two Class A charges of aggravated trafficking in scheduled drugs and two counts of unlawful possession of scheduled drugs. He was arrested Jan. 11 on a warrant charging aggravated trafficking in synthetic narcotic Oxycodone. Rumford police Detective James Bernard said in January that Lemieux sold the drug to undercover operatives in a drug-free zone.
Sanfratello faces two Class A charges of aggravated trafficking in scheduled drugs, as well as charges of endangering the welfare of a child, aggravated unlawful furnishing of scheduled drugs and violation of condition of release. On Dec. 27, police arrested her on charges of aggravated trafficking in Suboxone and morphine sulfate.
The arrests were the result of investigations by the Maine Drug Enforcement Agency with assistance by Rumford, Mexico and Dixfield police.
In December, MDEA agent Tony Milligan said the agency is working to stop pharmaceutical diversion in the Rumford area and reduce the number of accidental overdose deaths that result from prescription drug abuse.
Report a correction
In order to make comments, you must verify your account.
In order to comment on SunJournal.com, you must use your real name and include the town in which you live in your profile. A member of our staff will call you to verify this information. To join in, fill out your user profile completely and check the box "please verify my status." We'll get back to you within one business day to verify your account.
Login or create an account here.
Our policy prohibits comments that are:
- Defamatory, abusive, obscene, racist, or otherwise hateful
- Excessively foul and/or vulgar
- Inappropriately sexual
- Baseless personal attacks or otherwise threatening
- Contain illegal material, or material that infringes on the rights of others
- Commercial postings attempting to sell a product/item
If you violate this policy, your comment will be removed and your account may be banned.