A South Portland man was arrested Monday and charged with trafficking after he allegedly sold crack cocaine to an undercover agent.
Moses L. Oreste, 21, was charged with trafficking in fentanyl and crack cocaine along with theft by receiving, officials with the Maine Drug Enforcement Agency said.
The MDEA said they began an investigation in November into a group of people who they believed were buying fentanyl and crack cocaine out of state and bringing it back to Maine, where it was repackaged and sold locally.
They said Oreste was arrested after delivering crack cocaine to an undercover agent Monday.
At the time of the arrest, the MDEA said they seized 23 grams of crack cocaine and 7 grams of fentanyl from Oreste and then obtained a search warrant for his apartment in the Olde English Village complex in South Portland. There, they said, they seized another 12 grams of fentanyl, packaging and processing materials that contained crack cocaine, $49,000 in suspected drug proceeds and a 9 mm handgun.
The gun had been reported stolen in Portland in 2017, leading to the theft by receiving charge.
According to the MDEA, the total street value of the seized drugs is $23,000.
Oreste was being held at the Cumberland County Jail and bail has been set at $60,000. He is due to make an initial court appearance Wednesday in Portland.
MDEA officials said their investigation is continuing and they expect to make additional arrests.
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