PORTLAND — An Auburn man who reportedly bragged about robbing a drug trafficker admitted Thursday to selling fentanyl and cocaine.
Zachary “Pee Wee” Paradis, 39, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court to distribution of fentanyl and distribution of cocaine base, or crack cocaine.
Each of the felony charges is punishable by up to 20 years in prison and a fine of up to $1 million.
According to a plea agreement reached with prosecutors, Paradis may only appeal a prison sentence of more than 41 months.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Noah Falk wrote in court documents that on March 2, Paradis sold a “finger,” or 11.4 grams, of fentanyl to a confidential source for the Drug Enforcement Administration during a recorded controlled drug buy (the source wore recording devices) in exchange for $400.
During that transaction, Paradis “bragged to (the source) that he had engaged in other crimes, including strangling his girlfriend, robbing another narcotics trafficker while they were under the influence of fentanyl, and participating in a shooting in Lewiston around New Year’s Eve 2021,” Falk wrote.
On April 14, 2022, Paradis sold the source 44.8 grams of crack cocaine during a recorded controlled purchase for $1,350, Falk wrote.
The DEA’s Northeast Laboratory later tested the products from both narcotics purchases from Paradis and confirmed they contained fentanyl and crack cocaine, respectively, Falk wrote.
No sentencing date was set.
Paradis will remain in federal custody until his sentencing hearing.
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