PORTLAND — A Jay man admitted Wednesday to selling roughly 50 grams of fentanyl in an undercover operation earlier this year.
Devon Ashton, 27, pleaded guilty in federal court to a charge of distribution and possession with intent to distribute more than 40 grams of fentanyl, a felony punishable by five to 40 years in prison and a fine of up to $5 million.
Ashton was led into the courtroom handcuffed, his ankles shackled, wearing an orange jail suit.
There is no plea agreement with prosecutors, Assistant U.S. Attorney Noah Falk told U.S. District Court Judge Nancy Torresen.
A sentencing date is expected after probation officers conduct an information investigation report for the court.
On about March 16, a confidential source for the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration participated in a monitored and recorded telephone call with Ashton, during which the source arranged to buy fentanyl from Ashton in the parking lot of a business in South Portland, according to Falk.
Later that day, drug agents watched the source and Ashton as they arrived at the agreed-on location.
Ashton was seen getting into the passenger seat of the source’s motor vehicle, where he stayed for less than a minute, Falk wrote in court papers.
Ashton returned to his own vehicle and both he and the source left the scene.
Afterward, the source provided drug agents with about 50 grams of fentanyl that he was given by Ashton in exchange for pre-recorded cash currency that had been given to the source by drug agents, Falk wrote.
The fentanyl purchased from Ashton was later sent to the DEA lab, where it was analyzed and confirmed to be, in fact, fentanyl, Falk wrote
Before that date, Ashton had sold a total of roughly 150 grams of fentanyl on three occasions between Jan. 12 and Feb. 16, Falk wrote.
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