LEWISTON – A husband and wife were arrested late Tuesday after local and federal drug agents kept a downtown apartment under surveillance, watching for evidence of drug dealing.

Timothy Wing, 25, and Courtney Wing, 31, both of 425 Main St., were charged with trafficking in cocaine after agents raided an apartment on Howard Street.

Investigators said they seized more than an ounce of prepackaged coke, $1,000 in cash and drug paraphernalia when they searched the apartment at 7 Howard St.

For hours, agents from the federal High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area Task Force had been watching the tenement. They were joined by Maine Drug Enforcement agents and investigators from Lewiston’s Special Enforcement Team.

At about 9:30 p.m., agents stormed the building with search warrants and arrested the Wings inside. Each was taken to the Androscoggin County Jail where they remained Wednesday night.

Federal agents said the downtown apartment was a known area for drug trafficking. Investigators have been gathering information about the location and on Tuesday, they teamed up to watch the building.

Police said Timothy and Courtney Wing were among several suspects believed to be dealing cocaine in the Lewiston area.

“My understanding from talking to the agents is that they have been looking at them for a while,” said Lewiston deputy police Chief Michael Bussiere. “There’s a likelihood of more arrests in this case.”

For Timothy Wing, the Tuesday night arrest means another trip to jail and possibly prison. In 1995, Wing was convicted of slashing the throat of a cab driver during a robbery in Auburn.

In that case, investigators said Wing held a knife to the throat of the cabbie while a friend, then 15-year-old Samantha Leonard, demanded cash. After the cab driver complied, Wing slit his throat and left him in the cab, police said.

The cab driver was able to use his radio to call for help after the attack. He underwent surgery and survived the slashing that left an 8-inch scar across his throat.

Three people were eventually tracked down and arrested in the robbery. They were convicted and ordered to jail.

Wing was ordered to what was then the Maine Youth Center in South Portland but was released in less than two years. In 1997, he was arrested again on a charge of robbery after a home invasion on Lowell Street in Lewiston.

In that heist, one of the victims named Wing as the person who held a gun to his head while another group of people, brandishing steak knives, ransacked the apartment. He was convicted.