PORTLAND — A federal judge on Tuesday sentenced a New York man to 100 months in prison for conspiring to distribute and possessing with intent to distribute crack cocaine and heroin to cities in Maine, including Lewiston.
U.S. District Court Chief Judge Jon D. Levy also sentenced Akeem Cruz, 31, of Brooklyn to four years of supervised release after his release from prison. He also was known by the aliases “Vybe” and “Mello.”
Cruz pleaded guilty two years ago to the Class B felony that is punishable by five to forty years in prison.
Between 2015 and 2017, Cruz and co-defendants conspired to distribute and possess with the intent to distribute cocaine base and heroin from outside of Maine to Portland and Lewiston, according to court documents.
Cruz’s distribution involved more than 100 grams of heroin, prosecutors said.
His co-conspirators have all been sentenced, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
Melquan Jordan, 31, of Brooklyn was sentenced to 10 years in prison, Lamale Lawson, 29, of Brooklyn was sentenced to 84 months in prison, Edward Canty III, 31, of Brooklyn was sentenced to 66 months in prison, Christopher Rickett, 33, of Portland was sentenced to three years of probation, and Sierrha Frisbie, 29, of Portland also was sentenced to three years of probation.
The case was investigated by Portland and South Portland police departments, the Maine Drug Enforcement Agency, Homeland Security Investigations, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and the FBI.
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