Maine man pleads guilty to federal drug and gun charges

PORTLAND, Maine — A midcoast Maine man pleaded guilty in federal court Tuesday to illegally importing synthetic opioids from China, and illegally possessing a firearm.

This guilty plea resulted from an investigation by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), the U.S. Postal Inspection Service (USPIS), and the Maine Drug Enforcement Agency.

Adam Davis, 37, of Rockland, Maine, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court to illegally importing the synthetic opioid U-47700, also known as “Pink” or “U4,” and to illegally possessing a firearm while being a user of a controlled substance.  

On November 14, 2016, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration listed U-47700 as a temporary Schedule 1 controlled substance on an emergency basis after it determined that the drug represented an imminent hazard to public safety.  

On January 15, 2017, U.S border officials intercepted a package from China containing U-47700 that was destined for the defendant’s Rockland residence. On January 25, 2017, federal and state law enforcement made a controlled delivery of the package to the defendant, who was arrested after he accepted the package. The defendant admitted that he knew that the package contained U-47700 and that he ordered it from China. Agents also recovered a firearm while searching Davis’ apartment.

Davis is the first person convicted of a federal offense involving U-47700 in the District of Maine. He faces up to 20 years in prison and a $1 million fine. He will be sentenced after the completion of a pre-sentence investigation report by the U.S. Probation Office.