Man Sentenced in Maine Court For Helping Sell Enough Fentanyl to Kill 20 Million People

Even though have been drug problems here in Maine for decades, it seems like it was just recently that we had to face the fact that the really dangerous (and deadly) drugs were being sold in our state.

Over the last few years, we have seen a sharp increase in the number of drug busts that involve deadly drugs, like fentanyl.

Recently, a Dominican national, with ties to Boston, was sentenced to five years in prison for helping to sell drugs in Maine.

The really wild part was how much deadly fentanyl he reportedly had a hand in selling.

According to WMTW, 30-year-old Alexis De Leon reportedly helped sell 44 pounds of fentanyl.  That's enough fentanyl to kill as many as 20 million people!

Court records say De Leon didn’t work alone.

Investigators say he and others were moving kilograms of fentanyl from Massachusetts into Maine, where it was sold and distributed.

Early in the investigation, agents focused on someone locally known as “Leon Leon.” According to court documents, that person was using a Facebook account and other methods to contact customers and associates in Maine to set up drug deals.

The DEA says agents later found evidence that De Leon was the one running that Facebook page. From there, investigators arranged monitored fentanyl buys directly from “Leon Leon.”

Things came to a head in June 2024.

With help from Maine State Police, the DEA coordinated a traffic stop as De Leon was heading toward Bangor. Court documents say a large amount of fentanyl was found in the vehicle, and De Leon and another passenger tried to destroy the drugs before they could be seized.

According to court records, De Leon told police he had been bringing fentanyl into Maine since around August 2023.

The court determined De Leon was responsible for distributing more than 44 pounds, or 20 kilograms, of fentanyl in Maine. Co-defendants Ramon De Leon and Mandi Ford have both pleaded guilty and are now awaiting sentencing.

According to the Riley County Kansas website, it only takes two milligrams of fentanyl to kill a person.