PORTLAND, Maine - Michael J. Ferguson Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration for New England and United States Attorney Thomas E. Delahanty II announced that Robert Joiner, Jr. -, 30, of Detroit, Michigan was sentenced today to three years in prison and five years of supervised release for conspiring to distribute 28 grams or more of cocaine base, often referred to as crack cocaine, and distribution of crack cocaine. Joiner entered a guilty plea to the charges on May 29, 2015.
Court records reveal that between December 2013 and January 2015, Joiner conspired with others, including Russell Gordon and Marco Gordon, to sell crack cocaine in Portland. Russell Gordon would arrange for the acquisition of drugs out of state. Once the drugs were transported to Maine, they were provided to retail distributors who would sell the drugs in the Portland area, and then return the cash proceeds to Russell Gordon. During the course of the investigation, law enforcement officers conducted controlled purchases of crack cocaine from Joiner and other members of the conspiracy.
Russell Gordon and Marco Gordon have both entered guilty pleas and await sentencing.
This case was investigated by the Southern Maine Gang Task Force, which is comprised of investigators from the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Portland Police Department, Homeland Security Investigations, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and the Drug Enforcement Administration. The Biddeford and Lewiston Police Departments, the Maine Drug Enforcement Agency, and the Maine State Police also assisted with the investigation.
The case also results from the ongoing effort of the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task (OCDETF), a partnership between federal, state and local law enforcement agencies. The principal mission of the OCDETF program is to identify, disrupt and dismantle the most serious drug trafficking, weapons trafficking and money laundering organizations, and those primarily responsible for the nation’s illegal drug supply.
