Dale Pinkham

A Buxton man will serve 20 years in prison following convictions for conspiracy to distribute heroin, conspiracy to possess stolen firearms, and attempted witness tampering.

Dale Pinkham, 57, of Buxton was sentenced Wednesday in U.S. District Court in Portland, according to acting U.S. Attorney Richard W. Murphy.

Authorities said that Pinkham conspired with members of his family to purchase heroin in Massachusetts and distribute to buyers in Maine over from November 2012 through November 2014. During his peak dealing period, agents said, Pinkham was selling 200 grams of heroin a month. Three male family members were sentenced to prison last year.

Murphy said Pinkham encouraged his customers to commit thefts and burglaries to obtain items that could be traded for drugs.

Pinkham was arrested on Oct. 11, 2014, and has remained in state or federal custody since then. Murphy said that Pinkham wrote letters from jail that directed family members and accomplices to hide stolen firearms that were stored in his home and to threaten witnesses.