Maine drug agents seize 2 pounds of fentanyl valued at $140,000

Drug agents seized more than two pounds of fentanyl as part of a drug bust Wednesday, according to the Maine Drug Enforcement Agency.

Officials said drug agents investigated reports of drug trafficking from 115 Dartmouth St. in Portland on Tuesday.

Police then stopped a vehicle driven by Hunter S. York, 21, of Portland, on Forest Avenue on Wednesday morning.

York was arrested after being found in possession of fentanyl and two guns, officials said.

York is accused of trafficking drugs throughout Cumberland and York counties, officials said.

Drug agents then searched his apartment and found more than two pounds of fentanyl in powder and tablet form. Also seized were more than 125 Ecstasy capsules, officials said

The fentanyl is valued at $140,000.

Agents also seized $15,000 in suspected drug proceeds and two additional guns stored with the fentanyl. One of the firearms is believed to have been stolen in Saco last year.

Fentanyl is so powerful that the equivalent of a few grains can be deadly, officials said. It has been a leading cause of drug deaths in Maine in recent years.

Officials said the drug is manufactured on the black market outside Maine and the MDEA is working with theU.S. Drug Enforcement Administration to identify, disrupt and prosecute York's out-of-state supplier.

The investigation is ongoing, and several others involved with York's distribution have been identified, officials said.