Houlton Man Pleads Guilty to Federal Drug Charges

 BANGOR, Maine—A Houlton man pleaded guilty in federal court today to two counts of distributing methamphetamine, one count of distributing 50 grams or more of methamphetamine, and one count of possessing 500 grams or more of methamphetamine with intent to distribute, Acting U.S. Attorney Donald E. Clark announced.

According to court records, Derek Fitzpatrick, 30, sold methamphetamine to a confidential informant on two occasions in August 2018. In September 2018, Fitzpatrick sold more than 50 grams of methamphetamine to the informant. On September 28, 2018, law enforcement officers executed search warrants at Fitzpatrick’s residence in Houlton and his garage in Littleton. Agents seized almost 2,000 grams of methamphetamine from the residence. 

On each of the two counts of distributing methamphetamine, Fitzpatrick faces up to 20 years in prison, a fine of up to $1 million, and between three years and a lifetime of supervised release. For distributing 50 grams or more of methamphetamine, he faces between five years and 40 years in prison, a fine of up to $5 million, and between four years and a lifetime of supervised release. For possessing 500 grams or more of methamphetamine with intent to distribute, he faces between 10 years and life in prison, a fine of up to $10 million, and between five years and a lifetime of supervised release.

Fitzpatrick will be sentenced after the completion of a presentence investigation report by the U.S. Probation Office. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, Homeland Security Investigations and the Maine Drug Enforcement Agency investigated this case, with the assistance of the Aroostook County Sheriff’s Office, the Houlton Police Department and the Maine State Police.

This prosecution is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) investigation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations that threaten the United States by using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks.