South Portland Man Gets 5-Year Sentence for Gun & Drug Trafficking

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By Staff Writer | iSkyCreations - News & Media (ISC News & Media)
Published May 2nd, 2024

PORTLAND, Maine – Joshua Hopkins, a 33-year-old resident of South Portland, was sentenced today to five years in prison for multiple charges related to gun and drug trafficking. U.S. District Judge Jon D. Levy also imposed a four-year term of supervised release following Hopkins' incarceration. The sentence was handed down in the U.S. District Court in Portland after Hopkins pleaded guilty on February 21, 2024.

Court records reveal that in April 2023, law enforcement officers, acting on an active state arrest warrant, located Hopkins at a hotel in South Portland. During the arrest, officers conducted a search of Hopkins' backpack, uncovering a variety of items indicative of drug trafficking. These items included multiple scales, a single round of 7.62 mm x 39 mm ammunition, and a blender containing suspected fentanyl powder. Additional smaller containers of suspected fentanyl, bags of suspected cocaine, and a substance likely used to "cut" drugs were also found.

Further investigation led to the discovery of a black Norinco SKS-style rifle in the car of an associate who claimed that Hopkins had supplied him with drugs and had left the rifle along with personal belongings in his vehicle. The ammunition found in Hopkins' backpack was compatible with this rifle. Due to previous felony convictions, Hopkins is legally prohibited from possessing firearms and ammunition.

The arrest and subsequent investigation were the result of a coordinated effort involving the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the South Portland Police Department, the Maine Drug Enforcement Agency, and the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration.

For Immediate Release: U.S. Attorney's Office, District of Maine

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