PORTLAND — State drug agents and city police raided a downtown apartment and arrested four people Monday afternoon on drug trafficking charges.

The arrests capped a six-month investigation into the local distribution of heroin and crack cocaine.

Cmdr. Scott Pelletier of the Maine Drug Enforcement Agency said Tuesday that police arrested Denise Parham, 54, who rented the apartment at 638 Congress St.; Robert A. Combs, 20; Michael J. Fleury, 23; and Gabriel Williams, 28. Combs, Fleury and Williams are all of Brooklyn, N.Y.

Williams was also charged with violating conditions of release because he was out on bail for a pending trafficking charge related to the investigation.

Drugs seized from the apartment allegedly included 72 grams of cocaine base and 125 grams of heroin, with a total street value of about $30,000, Pelletier said. Police also found nearly $2,800 in suspected drug proceeds.

The investigation was prompted by neighbors who noticed excessive foot traffic and disturbances in the building, and who pinpointed Parnham’s apartment as their site, police said.

Prior to the 4 p.m. raid on Monday, agents allegedly observed a drug transaction between Parham and two other people. With this evidence and information obtained over the past six months, they obtained and executed a search warrant for Parnham’s apartment.

All four suspects were transported to Cumberland County Jail, where bail was set at $50,000 dollars each. The investigation is continuing and other arrests are expected, Pelletier said.

William Hall can be reached at 781-3661 ext. 106 or whall@theforecaster.net. Follow him on Twitter: @hallwilliam4.

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Combs

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