BANGOR, Maine (NEWS CENTER) - Undercover drug agents said they know crack was being sold out of a Bangor apartment because they bought it there themselves as part of their investigation.
The No. 4 apartment unit at 175 Hammond Street is home to 64-year-old Paul Ness and 59-year-old Yvonne Ness. They live within 1,000 feet of the drug-free zone around Coe Park. The Maine Drug Enforcement Agency said the married couple were associates of 49-year-old Shawn Larts of Dorcester, Mass. Drug agents arrested all three of them Tuesday night on charges of aggravated drug trafficking.
As drug agents began their investigation into the flow of crack in the neighborhood, their sources pointed to a supplier who went by the street name Chosen. Agents said their continued digging revealed Chosen to be an alias for Larts who had a criminal history of drug and firearms offenses in Massachusetts.
Drug agents said their case was solidified by making several undercover purchases from Larts at the Ness home. Larts was leaving the apartment when drug agents arrested him. Agents then entered the apartment with a search warrant. The list of evidence they collected includes 10 grams of crack and about $2,500 in cash.
Larts and the Nesses are in custody at Penobscot County Jail with bail for each of them set at $10,000 cash.
