Connecticut Woman Sentenced for Role in Fentanyl and Cocaine Trafficking in Franklin County

BANGOR, Maine: A Connecticut woman was sentenced today in U.S. District Court in Bangor today for possessing fentanyl and cocaine base with the intent to distribute.

U.S. District Judge Lance E. Walker sentenced Chrissie LaForge, 43, to 18 months imprisonment, followed by three years of supervised release. LaForge pleaded guilty on June 5, 2023.

According to court records, the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office began an investigation into the suspected trafficking of illegal narcotics out of a residence in Avon. Over the course of several months, law enforcement observed vehicles parked at the residence rented or owned by LaForge that stayed for short durations. The investigation produced evidence that a drug trafficking organization was operating out of the residence and that LaForge was renting vehicles in Connecticut for others to transport narcotics to the residence or was transporting them herself.

In July 2020, investigators executed a search warrant and found LaForge inside the residence and a vehicle she had rented in Connecticut in the driveway. Investigators seized approximately $1,200 in cash from LaForge’s pocket and found 44.9 grams of fentanyl and 12.65 grams of cocaine base in her purse. She admitted to investigators that she brought the drugs to the residence and planned to pick up between $5,000 and $6,000 in drug proceeds during this visit. Investigators also seized $8,863 in cash, digital scales with residue powder, baggies, straws, hypodermic needles, and other drug paraphernalia.

The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, Maine Drug Enforcement Agency, and Franklin County Sheriff’s Office investigated this case.

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