PORTLAND — A Union man was sentenced today in U.S. District Court in Portland for distributing fentanyl and cocaine. 

U.S. District Judge John A. Woodcock, Jr., sentenced Kenneth Adams, 40, to 10 years in federal prison followed by eight years of supervised release for trafficking kilogram quantities of fentanyl and cocaine from New York to Maine, according to a news release from the U.S. District Court. Adams pleaded guilty December 20, 2024.

According to court records, from at least December 2023 through June 2024, Adams trafficked fentanyl and cocaine from sources of supply in the Bronx to mid-level drug dealers in Knox County for further distribution. As determined by the court, Adams possessed at least one firearm in connection with this drug trafficking activity. 

In a Dec. 20 news release, the court said:  "In January 2024, Adams sold a confidential informant approximately 250 grams of fentanyl in a controlled buy captured on video and audio and physically surveilled by investigators. In June 2024, investigators executed a search warrant at a Bronx residence used by Adams. During the search, investigators recovered a loaded 9mm Smith & Wesson handgun, approximately 260 grams of fentanyl, and approximately 780 grams of cocaine. Adams was previously convicted in 2016 in Aroostook County Superior Court for unlawful trafficking in scheduled drugs."

Homeland Security Investigations and the Maine Drug Enforcement Agency investigated the case.

Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces: This prosecution is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) investigation, according to the release. 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.