Two Biddeford men were found guilty on multiple federal charges, including robbery, drug trafficking, and illegal firearms possession, after a six-day jury trial in U.S. District Court in Portland, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Maine announced Tuesday.
Nathaniel Ashwood, 37, and Lloyd Lyttle, 35, were convicted of interfering with commerce by robbery, conspiring to traffic cocaine, cocaine base, and fentanyl, using a firearm during drug trafficking, and illegally possessing a firearm as convicted felons.
The verdict stems from a July 28, 2023, incident in which Ashwood and Lyttle were accused of robbing and assaulting a rival drug dealer and two others on Cutts Street in Biddeford.
Court records and trial testimony revealed the pair used firearms and physical force to intimidate local residents and assert control over the area’s drug market.
The investigation, led by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration and Biddeford Police Department with assistance from the Springfield, Vermont Police Department, detailed how Ashwood and Lyttle distributed narcotics in the Biddeford area while using violence to protect their operations.
According to federal prosecutors, both men were prohibited from possessing firearms due to prior felony convictions.
After being convicted, Ashwood faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 20 years and a maximum of life in prison, while Lyttle faces a mandatory minimum of 14 years, also with a maximum of life.
