BANGOR, Maine — A 33-year-old Penobscot County man was sentenced Tuesday in a Bangor court for his role in drug trafficking in Penobscot and Aroostook counties.
Matthew "Tampa" Catalano was sentenced to 165 months in prison followed by five years of supervised release after pleading guilty on Nov. 19, 2022, according to a news release from the U.S. Attorney's Office, District of Maine.
Catalano is the seventh person to be sentenced in a conspiracy "to distribute and possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine and fentanyl." He was also sentenced for "being an unlawful user of controlled substances in possession of a firearm."
Court records show Catalano and others trafficked methamphetamine and fentanyl in Penobscot and Aroostook counties, and in other areas, between January 2018 and December 2021, the release said.
Catalano was reportedly found in possession of "large amounts of methamphetamine and fentanyl, a loaded 9mm handgun and drug paraphernalia" during a traffic stop by Orono police on Feb. 17, 2021.
According to the release, eight of 14 defendants in the case have pleaded guilty thus far.
"The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration; Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; and Maine Drug Enforcement Agency investigated the case," the release said. "Assistance was provided by the police departments in Orono, Bangor, Brewer, Caribou, Presque Isle and Houlton. U.S. Attorney Darcie McElwee also recognized the cooperation and coordination provided by the Maine State Attorney General’s Office and the Aroostook County District Attorney’s Office."
