BOSTON, Mass.- A Massachusetts man was sentenced to 15 years in federal prison for his role in a fentanyl trafficking conspiracy that moved kilogram quantities of drugs into southern Maine.
Maximo Pepin, 30, also known as “Manny,” was sentenced Thursday in U.S. District Court in Portland by U.S. District Judge Stacey D. Neumann. He was also ordered to serve five years of supervised release after pleading guilty on July 22, 2025.
According to court records, Pepin led a drug trafficking operation between 2024 and 2025 that transported fentanyl, cocaine, and methamphetamine from Massachusetts into Maine, where he directed distribution to lower-level traffickers in southern Maine.
The Drug Enforcement Administration investigated the case, developing evidence that included drug seizures tied to Pepin’s network and intercepted communications in spring 2025. Those communications, prosecutors said, showed Pepin used threats of violence to enforce control, including threats to kill an associate and discussions about contaminating drugs with battery acid in response to theft.
Pepin was arrested in April 2025. At the time of his arrest, authorities said he possessed multiple phones used to manage the operation and a handgun with an extended magazine. He has prior Massachusetts convictions for drug trafficking, armed robbery, and kidnapping.
The investigation involved the DEA and multiple federal, state, and local agencies, including the FBI and Maine law enforcement partners.
The prosecution was part of a federal Homeland Security Task Force initiative targeting transnational criminal organizations and drug trafficking networks.
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