BANGOR (AP) – An Aroostook County man accused of running a multimillion-dollar cross-border marijuana smuggling operation from his wheelchair while collecting disability checks was sentenced in U.S. District Court on Tuesday to life imprisonment.

Michael Pelletier, 56, formerly of St. David, was convicted in July of drug trafficking, money laundering and Social Security fraud.

Pelletier was accused of conspiring to import more than 2000 pounds of marijuana from Canada between 2003 and 2006 and distributing it in multi-pound quantities to customers throughout Maine.

Evidence at his six-day jury trial revealed that he hired smugglers to ferry shipments of 60 pounds or more at a time across the St. John River in remote locations.

Prosecution witnesses included Pelletier’s former girlfriend, Kendra Cyr of Madawaska, and Adam Hafford of Westfield, who swam the St. John River carrying duffel bags stuffed full of marijuana.

Cyr told jurors that Pelletier had stacks of cash hidden around his house at a time when his only source of legitimate income was his monthly $550 Social Security check.

In addition to his life sentence, Pelletier must forfeit two cars, a farm tractor, three pieces of real estate, and nearly $21,000 in cash. He also was ordered to pay a $4.8 million judgment and more than $83,000 in restitution to the Social Security Administration.

The government brought fraud charges because illegal activities count as work under Social Security laws.

and Pelletier failed to report the operation of his drug distribution business to the Social Security Administration.

“This sentence should serve as a huge deterrent to those who seek to operate an multi-million dollar international drug and money laundering operation while simultaneously collecting Social Security disability benefits,” U.S. Attorney Paula Silsby said.

Pelletier was one of six people indicted last year in connection with the smuggling operation.

AP-ES-01-22-08 1934EST

Copy the Story Link