BANGOR, Maine — A Bangor man faces 10 years to life in prison after pleading guilty to gun and drug charges as part of a larger drug conspiracy and money laundering ring.
Matthew Catalano, 33, pleaded guilty on Tuesday to conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine and fentanyl and user of controlled substances in possession of a firearm.
Catalano was stopped by Orono police on Feb. 17, 2021 with a loaded pistol and drug paraphernalia in his pickup truck, according to police affidavits. A search uncovered 195 grams of methamphetamine and a Tupperware container holding 121 grams of suspected fentanyl.
In February 2022, he was indicted along with 16 others as part of a drug conspiracy and money laundering ring operating between January 2018 and December 2021 in Penobscot and Aroostook counties as well as other parts of Maine.
The case was investigated by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, the Maine Drug Enforcement Agency, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives with assistance from the Orono, Bangor, Brewer, Caribou, Presque Isle, and Houlton police departments.
