MEXICO – Two men awaiting criminal trials were arrested on drug charges Tuesday afternoon on Route 2 in Mexico during a multi-agency surveillance operation.

Earl S. Blanchard Jr., 51, of 323 Cumberland St., Rumford, and Troy Blanchard, 18, of 46 Howard St., Mexico, were picked up as they returned from the Lewiston-Auburn area where they went to buy illegal drugs, according to Gerry Baril of the Maine Drug Enforcement Agency in Lewiston.

The men are not related.

Earl Blanchard Jr. was charged with attempted trafficking in Clonazepam, which is also known by its brand name of Klonopin, an anti-anxiety prescription drug, and violating conditions of release. Baril said Wednesday morning by phone that Earl Blanchard Jr. was trying to sell the drug from his Rumford apartment, which is located within 1,000 feet of a school safety zone, based on an investigation last week.

Troy Blanchard was charged with illegal possession of a usable amount of marijuana, unlawful possession of the prescription antihistamine Hydroxyzine, and violating conditions of release. Police confiscated the drugs that were on him in the car. He had been free on bail from Rumford District Court on a charge of receiving stolen property.

Both were booked Tuesday at the Rumford police station, then taken to Oxford County Jail in Paris. Both were also scheduled for an initial court appearance on Wednesday in Rumford District Court.

Area police gained insight into the activities of Earl Blanchard Jr. after last week’s nationwide drug sweep – Operation Byrne Blitz. The sweep, also known as Byrne-JAG, is an annual effort to highlight federal cuts to drug task forces.

From the evening of March 5 into the morning of March 6, several police departments and MDEA agents arrested 31 people in the tri-county area on drug charges and probation violations. Of those 31, six were picked up in Rumford, four in Mexico.

“While we were arresting people on Byrne-JAG in Rumford, we got new information that Earl Blanchard was still selling drugs,” Baril said Wednesday.

Baril is the special agent supervisor of the MDEA’s Western Regional Task Force serving Androscoggin, Franklin and Oxford counties.

Earl Blanchard Jr. was arrested in November by MDEA agents and charged with trafficking in the prescription narcotic Hydrocodone and acquiring drugs by deception. While on bail, he was prohibited from committing new criminal conduct or possessing illegal drugs. Bail conditions also stipulated that he was subject to random searches and testing for drugs.

Troy Blanchard was also prohibited from engaging in any new criminal conduct.

Based on the Byrne-JAG information, an MDEA agent and Rumford police went to Earl Blanchard’s apartment to arrest him, but he wasn’t home.

“He had gone to Lewiston-Auburn with others, allegedly to purchase illegal drugs,” Baril said.

MDEA, Rumford police, Oxford County Sheriff’s deputies and Maine State Police set up a string of surveillances along Route 108 from Route 4 to Rumford, hoping to catch Earl Blanchard heading back to Rumford. Troy Blanchard was a passenger in the car.

Baril said the vehicle was spotted on Route 108 in Peru, then followed into Mexico, where Mexico officers responded to assist with the arrests.