An Ellsworth man may spend over seven years in prison after he was sentenced by a federal judge on Monday for his role in a conspiracy to traffic methamphetamines from California into Maine.
Jeremy Kane, 38, of Ellsworth pleaded guilty in February to charges of conspiring to distribute, and possession with intent to distribute controlled substances, along with conspiring to commit money laundering.
Between May 2022 through May 2023, Kane, along with unnamed co-conspirators, worked to illegally traffic methamphetamines into Maine via the mail, the court record indicates.
A conspirator in California would ship the drugs to Maine, where they were sold. Proceeds from the drug sales were sent to the conspirator in California via Walmart2Walmart, Cash App, and Venmo.
Kane and others used their accounts and identification to receive the proceeds in order to conceal the identity of the original source of the drugs in California.
U.S. District Judge John A. Woodcock, Jr. sentenced Kane to spend 87 months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release.
The U.S. Postal Service, Ellsworth Police Department, Maine Drug Enforcement Agency (MDEA), Holden Police Department, and Hancock County Sheriff’s Office all assisted in the investigation.
