2 people charged in Old Town drug bust
OLD TOWN, Maine — A pair of local people are facing multiple drug charges after police allegedly found various illegal drugs in their possession at a Main Street residence over the weekend.
A neighbor called police Saturday afternoon to report finding a box on their shared porch that had drugs inside.
After an initial investigation, officers traced the box as belonging to 30-year-old Danielle McBreairty of Glenburn, who had bail conditions not to possess drugs or alcohol.
Around 11 p.m., police obtained a warrant and searched McBreairty’s apartment, which she apparently shared with Michael Beal, 37, of Old Town. Authorities allegedly found about 562.8 grams of cocaine, 132.6 grams of heroin, 11.3 grams of methamphetamine, and nearly 500 grams of other unidentified drugs inside the residence, along with more than $15,000 in cash.
Police also allegedly found drug paraphernalia, specifically a scale, inside.
They charged McBreairty with aggravated trafficking and unlawful possession of scheduled drugs and violation of conditions of her release — all felony offenses.
They also charged Beal with aggravated trafficking and unlawful possession of scheduled drugs, illegal possession of a firearm by a prohibited person and violation of a protection order.
Days before the Aug. 15 incident, the couple had been charged with drug trafficking by the Orono Police Department.
Around 10:30 p.m. on Aug. 10, McBreairty was stopped on Stillwater Avenue near Interstate 95 after an Orono police officer noticed she was driving a pick-up truck with a loud exhaust that seemed to be a defect.
The officer recognized McBreairty and knew she had bail conditions stemming from a previous drug charge that required her to comply with searches. While searching the vehicle, the officer allegedly found a drug believed to be methamphetamine in her possession.
She was charged with violation of conditional release and possession of a scheduled W drug. McBreairty is due in court Sept. 24 for those charges.
Three days later around 11:30 p.m., McBreairty and Beal were both charged with trafficking a scheduled drug after another Orono officer stopped a car they were traveling in on I-95 that had an illegal red underglow.
The officer recognized the driver as McBreairty and noticed Beal in the passenger seat next to her. He allegedly found a substance presumed to be methamphetamine tied up in a sandwich bag while searching the car.
Both were charged and given a summons for the offense, as neither McBreairty nor Beal claimed the bag. McBreairty was additionally charged with violation of conditional release.
They are both due in court Oct. 8.
The Maine Drug Enforcement Agency has kept tabs on McBreairty in the past.
In February, the MDEA arrested her on charges of methamphetamine trafficking during a monthslong investigation out of Topsham.
Authorities said they found more than 4 pounds of crystal methamphetamine and a pound of cocaine — with a total street value of $60,000 — in McBreairty’s vehicle during a search. Two others were also arrested for involvement in the case.
Stephen McCausland , the former Maine Department of Public Safety Police spokesperson, said at the time that the agency had been investigating McBreairty for months before the drug seizure.
Authorities believed she was regularly traveling outside the state to purchase large quantities of methamphetamine and returning to sell it in Aroostook and Penobscot counties, as well as around the midcoast.
McBreairty was not eligible for bail for her latest charges, as of Monday afternoon. Beal is being held on a combined $80,000 cash bail for his four offenses.