Two Maine men were sentenced in separate hearings at the U.S. District Court in Bangor for their involvement in a drug trafficking operation spanning northern Maine. U.S. District Judge Stacey D. Neumann handed down sentences to Joshua Jerrell, 30, and Aaron Rodgers, 43.
Jerrell was sentenced to time served, approximately 36 months, followed by three years of supervised release. He had pleaded guilty on February 9, 2023, to charges of conspiring to distribute methamphetamine and fentanyl and making false statements to a federal firearms licensee.
Rodgers received a similar sentence of time served, approximately 33 months, with three years of supervised release. His guilty plea came on April 9, 2024, also for conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine and fentanyl.
Court records indicate that between January 2018 and December 2021, Jerrell and Rodgers participated in trafficking activities involving methamphetamine and fentanyl across Penobscot and Aroostook counties. They coordinated with others using coded communications via phone calls, texts, and social media to acquire drugs from suppliers for distribution within Penobscot County. In June 2021, Jerrell attempted to obtain firearms through false statements made to a federal firearms licensee in Holden for his drug supplier.
The case is part of a broader investigation involving twenty-one defendants linked to a northern Maine drug trafficking conspiracy. To date, thirteen individuals have been sentenced while eight await sentencing.
The investigation was conducted by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration; Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; and Maine Drug Enforcement Agency with assistance from police departments across several towns including Orono and Bangor. The effort also involved coordination with the Maine State Attorney General’s Office and the Aroostook County District Attorney’s Office.
U.S. Attorney Darcie McElwee acknowledged the cooperation among various agencies involved in this Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) investigation aimed at dismantling high-level criminal networks through an intelligence-driven approach leveraging multiple law enforcement resources.