AUBURN – A 16-year-old from Auburn who reported money stolen from his motel room Tuesday was arrested after police said they found 4 ounces of cocaine in his car.
The teenager was charged with aggravated trafficking in cocaine and taken to the Long Creek Youth Development Center in South Portland. Investigators could not recall a person that young getting caught locally with so much cocaine.
“In the coke-trafficking world, that’s very young,” said Auburn police Lt. Jason Moen. “It’s an unusual case.”
The street value of the powdered cocaine was estimated at between $15,000 and $18,000.
Police did not identify the teen because he is a minor. They said he has lived in Auburn all his life but had been staying from time to time at the Fireside Inn on Washington Street.
Police said that at about 2 p.m., the teenager told a manager at the inn that a container with money inside had been stolen from his room. After the manager called police to investigate the reported theft, officers went to the Fireside.
Police found the 16-year-old preparing to leave in a car, Moen said. With the help of a Lisbon police dog, they searched the car and found the container the boy had reported missing. Inside, according to Moen, was the cocaine.
Investigators from the Maine Drug Enforcement Agency went to the inn to assist with the probe. They were still attempting to determine where the drugs came from Tuesday night.
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