SPRINGVALE — Three men charged with felony heroin and cocaine trafficking charges made an initial appearance Friday at Springvale District Court via video link from York County Jail.
The trio, Christopher Ayotte, 45, of Biddeford, Elgui Javier, 21, of Bronx, New York and Rasmane “Jamaican Bob” Sankara, of West Africa were arrested Thursday at a Saco motel. Their arrests coincided with two suspected heroin overdose deaths that had taken place the previous day, according to Maine Public Safety spokesman Steve McCausland.
Sankara, according to McCausland, arrived in the United States in 2007 and overstayed his work visa. McCausland said he has several drug convictions in New York. Javier is wanted in New York for allegedly violating parole stemming from a first degree robbery charge.
Judge Daniel Driscoll set bail for Ayotte $100,000 cash; and the two others were each held on $250,000 cash. The three were ordered to have no contact with each other. As well, they are to be held in different wings of York County Jail.
On Wednesday, agents from the Maine Drug Enforcement Agency York District Task Force assisted the Biddeford Police Department with two suspected drug overdose death investigations. One man was found dead in a vehicle in the parking lot at Southern Maine Medical Center in Biddeford and a second at a residence elsewhere in the city, McCausland said.
He said agents began looking at a man using the street name “Jamaican Bob” whom police allege was selling large amounts of heroin and crack cocaine from a room at the Brookside Motel in Saco.
“Throughout the day and into Wednesday night agents conducted surveillance of the motel,” McCausland said. “Around 2 a.m., agents along with Saco and state police and agents from the federal drug enforcement agency raided the room, finding the three men inside.”
Seized was approximately 166 grams of heroin, packaged in individual doses for sale, 30 grams of crack cocaine and $4,780. The street value of the heroin and crack is estimated at $26,000.
The investigation into the overdose deaths is continuing.
McCausland said additional charges are expected.
The trio are next scheduled to appear in court on Feb. 11.
— Senior Staff Writer Tammy Wells can be contacted at 324-4444 (local call in Sanford) or 282-1535, ext. 327 or twells@journaltribune.com.
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