The Maine Drug Enforcement Agency arrested two men from Connecticut and New York in Houlton on charges of trafficking heroin, after their car took a wrong turn and ended up at the U.S.-Canadian border.

Francisco Vasquez, 34, of Mansfield, Connecticut and Sammy Rodriguez, 32, of Bronx, New York were arrested on felony charges of aggravated trafficking in Heroin, Class A, after the two were stopped by Canadian officials doing a customs check.

MDEA agents said the two men claimed to be traveling to Caribou from Connecticut for a birthday party, but missed the Houlton exit and ended up on the Canadian side at the border crossing. Canadian officials conducted a customs search of the car and found materials and packaging indicative of drug trafficking, although no drugs were found.

The car then turned around to return to the U.S. side. Upon re-entry U.S. Customs and Border Patrol agents conducted another search, with the help of a drug recognition dog who alerted to the presence of drugs around the car’s wheel wells. Agents seized two bags of suspected heroin hidden within two locations of the vehicle’s trunk. The total weight of the suspected heroin was about 66 grams – the equivalent of 660 doses with a street value of $20,000. Also found were packing materials and $640 in suspected drug proceeds.

Vasquez and Rodriguez were arrested and taken to the Aroostook County Jail, where bail was set at $25,000 cash each. The investigation is continuing.


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