RUMFORD — A transient was arrested Thursday afternoon on Cumberland Street on felony drug charges by Rumford police and Maine Drug Enforcement Agency agents, MDEA supervisor Matt Cashman said by phone in Lewiston.
Jessica Gardner, 31, was arrested at an apartment at 206 Cumberland St. on three warrants charging her with aggravated trafficking in powder heroin, crack cocaine and oxycodone.
Cashman said all three charges are Class A felonies based on drug sales Gardner made to MDEA agents within school or safe zones. Each charge carries a minimum mandatory prison sentence of four years.
“Because of the seriousness of the charges and drugs involved, bail was set at $10,000 cash,” he said. Gardner failed to make bail and was taken to Oxford County Jail in Paris.
Cashman said he didn’t know when she would make her first court appearance or arraignment, because she was arrested on warrants obtained by the MDEA from Oxford County Superior Court in Paris.
At the apartment, police said they found cellphones used to facilitate the drug trafficking, an assortment of prescription drugs, drug paraphernalia and illegal knives.
“Additional charges and arrests relating to this investigation are expected in the near future,” Cashman said.
He said residents complained about Gardner’s high-visibility drug dealing. “It was very pervasive drug dealing out in the open, and we were able to do multiple buys.”
The arrest culminated a six-month investigation by Rumford police and the MDEA after local police received numerous complaints from the community of the significant drug problem in the area, he said.
“Those are the Big 3 drugs: heroin, crack cocaine and oxycodone,” Cashman said. “We are seeing an influx of heroin here and it’s literally killing people, which is sad, because it shows no boundaries.
“Heroin is out of control because it’s a cheaper opiate,” he said. “It has reared its ugly head more viciously in the last 18 months. Oxycodone prices are so exorbitant now in more rural places like Rumford, so people have gone to heroin.”
Send questions/comments to the editors.
Success. Please wait for the page to reload. If the page does not reload within 5 seconds, please refresh the page.
Enter your email and password to access comments.
Hi, to comment on stories you must . This profile is in addition to your subscription and website login.
Already have a commenting profile? .
Invalid username/password.
Please check your email to confirm and complete your registration.
Only subscribers are eligible to post comments. Please subscribe or login first for digital access. Here’s why.
Use the form below to reset your password. When you've submitted your account email, we will send an email with a reset code.