The man accused of mailing more than 30 pounds of fentanyl to an Auburn restaurant is being held on $500,000 bail.
Jeremy Mercier, 41, made his first appearance at 8th District Court in Lewiston on Monday. He was not asked to enter a plea because he hasn’t been indicted by the Androscoggin County grand jury, according to the Sun Journal.
Mercier was charged with aggravated importation of scheduled drugs and aggravated trafficking of scheduled drugs, both felonies. He also was charged with violating his bail conditions, the Auburn Police Department said over the weekend.
Mercier will make a court appearance on his alleged bail violation on May 30, the Sun Journal reported.
Mercier allegedly had a large wooden crate from Arizona delivered to Mac’s Grill on Minot Avenue on Friday. Employees believed it was an order of mugs, but upon opening it, they found a plastic tote filled with several black-wrapped bags containing fentanyl, Auburn police have said.
The fentanyl was worth an estimated $3 million.
Mercier, who was listed as the contact on the shipment and didn’t work at the restaurant, was arrested when he came by asking about the crate, according to police. It’s still unclear why the crate was mailed to the restaurant.
Mercier owns a local motorcycle repair shop, and the crate was reportedly made to look like it contained motorcycle parts, according to the Sun Journal.
In addition to the fentanyl, police seized from Mercier $2,780 in suspected drug proceeds.
Mercier previously served several years in federal prison for a 2007 conviction for cocaine trafficking.
Given that the crate was mailed to Maine from Arizona, Assistant District Attorney Nathan Walsh said Monday federal authorities may be interested in the case, according to the Sun Journal.
Mercier remains at the Androscoggin County Jail in Auburn.
