South Portland Man Sentenced to 5 Years on Gun and Drug Trafficking Charges

PORTLAND, Maine:  A South Portland man was sentenced today in U.S. District Court in Portland for possession of a firearm by a prohibited person and possession of fentanyl and cocaine with intent to distribute.

U.S. District Judge Jon D. Levy sentenced Joshua Hopkins, 33, to 60 months in prison to be followed by four years of supervised release. Hopkins pleaded guilty on February 21, 2024.

According to court records, in April 2023, investigators located Hopkins, who had an active state arrest warrant, at a South Portland hotel. A search of a backpack Hopkins had been wearing revealed multiple scales, a single round of 7.62 mm x 39 mm ammunition, a blender that contained suspected fentanyl powder, smaller containers of additional suspected fentanyl powder, bags of suspected cocaine, and what appeared to be a substance used to “cut” drugs. Officers found a black Norinco SKS-style rifle in the vehicle. The round of ammunition in the backpack matched the caliber of the rifle. Hopkins is prohibited from possessing firearms and ammunition due to prior felony convictions.

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; South Portland Police Department; Maine Drug Enforcement Agency and U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration investigated the case.

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Contact

Ethan Plaut, Assistant United States Attorney (207-945-0373)

Source: U.S. ATF, atf.gov