A Lewiston man was sentenced to more than a quarter-century in prison Wednesday after he admitted to dealing cocaine in the Twin Cities area.

Vodie “Rick” Goodman, 45, formerly of Worcester, Mass., was sentenced in U.S. District Court to more than 26 years in federal prison.

U.S. District Court Judge D. Brock Hornby imposed the sentence following Goodman’s guilty plea entered in April, when Goodman admitted to conspiracy to possess and distribute crack cocaine, possession with intent to distribute the drug, unlawful possession of a firearm after having been convicted of a felony and possession of a firearm in commission of a drug trafficking crime.

Goodman was determined to be a career offender, which subjected him to increased prison terms under the federal sentencing guidelines.

He was arrested in Lewiston in August 2006 following a five-month investigation.

A police officer acting on a tip Aug. 31 of that year led drug agents to a Lisbon Street motel room where they said they found Goodman in possession of drugs, guns and cash.

Police said Goodman was found with more than 238 grams of crack cocaine, 41 grams of powdered cocaine, marijuana, anti-psychotic drugs, two loaded handguns and roughly $6,000 in cash.

Police said he had been living in the Twin Cities area and supplying another man with drugs to be sold in Lewiston and Auburn.

According to Maine Drug Enforcement Supervisor Gerry Baril, Goodman had been bringing crack, coke and pot to the Twin Cities where another man was lining up people to sell the drugs. It is the same system drug dealers have been using for years, he said.

Typically, distributors from Brooklyn, N.Y., Connecticut or Massachusetts come to Lewiston and seek out a crack addict, frequently a woman. The supplier than remains inside the addict’s apartment, paying the rent and doling out some of the crack, while the local addict goes to the streets and deals.

The case against Goodman was investigated by the MDEA, Lewiston and Auburn police and the Central Maine Violent Crimes Task Force.


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