A Blue Hill man is facing charges after drug agents seized approximately $30,000 of heroin from his vehicle, as he was bringing it into Hancock County.

Hancock County Sheriff's Deputies alerted MDEA of their investigation into Justin Horton, age 29 of Blue Hill. As part of a joint enforcement effort, the agencies conducted extensive surveillance, and were able to make undercover purchases of heroin from him.

On Friday, investigators learned that Horton would be heading out of state to pick up a significant amount of the drug for re-sale in Hancock County. His vehicle was stopped at around 4 o'clock Saturday morning in Bucksport where local police, Hancock County Sheriff's Deputies, and MDEA agents as he was headed back to Blue Hill.

A search of his vehicle turned up nearly 100 grams of heroin and $1,800 in cash. The heroin seized was in bulk-form known as 'fingers' and represents approximately 1,000 dosage units when processed into bags and sold on the street. Each bag currently sells for about $30 in Hancock County.

Horton is charged with Class B Trafficking in Schedule W drugs (heroin). DEA officials say the charges will likely be elevated to a Class A felony after review by an AAG prosecutor as the amount of the drugs seized is an aggravating factor.

In a joint statement, Hancock County Sheriff Scott Kane and MDEA Director Roy McKinney said the level of the opiate problem in Maine is stressing law enforcement resources. They went on to say that it's now more important than ever that all law enforcement agencies pool their resources in an effort to eradicate heroin from our communities.

The investigation is continuing and more arrests are possible.

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