Men charged with trafficking cocaine

BREWER - Police arrested two Caribou men earlier this week and found nearly 30 grams of cocaine in the vehicle they were riding in. Chad Lagasse and Anthony Green, both 18, were each charged with aggravated trafficking in a Schedule W drug, a felony. They also were both charged with a civil violation of possession of drug paraphernalia, Brewer police Sgt. Chris Martin said.

Lagasse, who was out on bail on another drug charge, also was charged with falsifying physical evidence and violation of condition of release.

The cocaine has an estimated street value of $2,500 to $2,900. The two men came to Brewer from Caribou to purchase the drugs, Martin said Wednesday.

"It was supposed to be a one day trip," Martin said, acknowledging that it was a little thing - a malfunctioning license plate light - that caught the attention of the police and extended the men's stay.

Martin and Officer Nelson Feero were monitoring traffic on North Main Street shortly after midnight Tuesday morning when they stopped the Chevy Avalanche the two men were in because of the defective license plate light.

Martin said he could see a marijuana pipe on the console in plain view and when he showed Green, the driver, the unlit license plate, he confronted the man about the pipe. Green admitted it was his, Martin said.

The pot pipe was gone when the police walked back to the passenger compartment. Martin said it was later found in the glove box, where Lagasse had put it, prompting the charge of falsifying physical evidence.

Searching the vehicle, the police found the cocaine stashed in the center console.

Lagasse and Green were taken to Penobscot County Jail and released on bail Wednesday.

Doug Kesseli

dkesseli@bangordailynews.net