$100,000 of fentanyl seized, 2 men charged in separate Maine drug arrests

MAINE, USA — With the help of local law enforcement partners, the Maine Drug Enforcement Agency has seized more than a pound of fentanyl in unrelated incidents, just four days apart from each other.

The first incident happened on Wednesday, May 29 around 7:20 p.m. when the Bangor Police Department responded to the report of a man slumped behind the wheel of his car in a parking lot on Hammond Street.

Upon arrival, the MDEA says officers identified the driver, and only person in the car, as Victor Arroyo, 50, of Tampa, Fla. and New Bedford, Mass. The SUV was registered to Arroyo, but the registration had long expired. As a result, he was taken into custody for the misdemeanor traffic violation.

During the arrest, officers found $8,000 cash on Arroyo and 150 grams of suspected fentanyl. As a result, they applied for a search warrant to thoroughly search the inside of Arroyo’s car. They ended up finding another 150 grams of Fentanyl, bringing the total to 300 grams.

Arroyo has a former conviction from 2007 in Florida for cocaine distribution. He has been charged with aggravated trafficking in fentanyl in addition to the traffic misdemeanor. 

Arroyo is being held at the Penobscot County Jail, and his bail has been set at $40,000. 

The second case took place on Monday, June 3 at a business off of Route One in Steuben. MDEA agents and the Washington County Sheriff’s Office had received information around 8 p.m. that took them to the scene to investigate.

According to the MDEA, Wayne Smeal, 65, of Steuben had arrived in the area, parked his car at a business, and walked into a nearby wooded area. When he returned to his car, MDEA agents approached him and found about 10 grams of fentanyl on him and a .357 revolver in his pocket.

Agents searched the wooded area where Smeal had been and found a plastic container with another 218 grams of fentanyl inside. As a result, MDEA agents obtained a search warrant for Smeal’s home, finding and seizing $6,560 in cash, believed to be from drug sales.

Smeal was arrested and charged with aggravated trafficking in fentanyl. He was taken to Washington County Jail, and his bail was set at $50,000. 

This incident was part of an ongoing investigation that had previously resulted in the arrest of Smeal’s 32-year-old son, William Smeal.

These two incidents, which spanned just four days, resulted in officers netting more than a pound of fentanyl, a highly lethal substance being smuggled into Maine. If the drugs had been sold in gram quantities, the MDEA says they would have had a retail value of more than $100,000. 

Information on drug crimes can be reported to the MDEA by calling the tip line at 800-452-6457 or anonymously by using MDEA’s Tip411 application.