A Jay man has pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in Bangor to charges of distributing narcotics and illegally possessing a firearm.
Court documents show that Thomas Ray Cook, 44, sold $600 worth of cocaine to a confidential source working with the Maine Drug Enforcement Agency (MDEA) in February 2025 at his home in Jay. In March 2025, Cook conducted another sale with the same confidential informant at a residence in Farmington, providing more cocaine and seven firearms for $1,600. Cook is not allowed to possess firearms due to previous felony convictions in Maine, including Aggravated Operating after Habitual Offender Revocation and Eluding an Officer.
Cook faces up to 20 years in prison, a fine of up to $1 million, and up to lifetime supervised release for the narcotics charge. For the firearms charge, he could receive up to 15 years in prison, a fine of up to $250,000, and up to three years of supervised release. Sentencing will take place after the U.S. Probation Office completes a presentence investigative report. The final sentence will be determined by a federal district court judge who will consider the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines along with other statutory factors.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives worked alongside MDEA on this investigation.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America—a national initiative led by the Department of Justice that aims to address illegal immigration issues and eliminate cartels and transnational criminal organizations while protecting communities from violent crime through combined efforts such as Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).
