Portland, Maine: United States Attorney Halsey B. Frank announced that Cuwan Merritt, 30, of Brooklyn, New York, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge D. Brock Hornby to 44 months in prison for crack cocaine trafficking. Merritt was convicted following a two-day jury trial in July 2018.
On May 12, 2017, Merritt and Michael Artis travelled from Boston intending to sell crack in Lewiston. Law enforcement agents intercepted the vehicle in which they were traveling when they reached Auburn. A police dog alerted to the presence of narcotics on both men. Agents seized 57 pre-packaged.5g bags of crack from Artis and later seized crack that Merritt had secreted in his body.
Artis pled guilty to the same charge on June 28, 2018 and awaits sentencing.
The investigation was conducted by the U.S Drug Enforcement Administration in conjunction with the Maine Drug Enforcement Agency, the Auburn and Lewiston Police Departments and the Maine State Police.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
