$127,000 Worth Of Cocaine Found On Vassalboro Man After Month Long Investigation, Authorities Say

A 24-year-old man from Vassalboro is in the Kennebec County Correctional Facility this week after authorities say he was caught with over 2,000 grams of cocaine and $1,000 in cash in his car.

The Maine Department of Public Safety and the Maine Drug Enforcement Agency say they had been investigating suspected drug trafficking activity on Webber Pond and suspected that Edward Lawrence of Vassalboro may have been the one transporting the drugs across state lines into Maine.

Read More: What Happened During The Drug Bust In Steuben, Maine?

Drug Enforcement Agents discovered that Lawrence was due back in the area with a large amount of narcotics on Wednesday, February 25th, so they applied for and received warrants to search his vehicle and his person for evidence, and waited for him to return to Maine.

Maine State Police Troopers spotted Lawrence driving north on I-295 near West Gardiner around 8 PM and tried to stop his vehicle, but he did not comply and instead tried to speed away.

"Troopers initiated a traffic stop just north of the West Gardiner tolls, however as Troopers approached the vehicle, Lawrence took off. Troopers pursued for a short distance until Lawrence's vehicle was disabled with the aid of tire deflation devices. Lawrence then fled his vehicle and was quickly apprehended with the aid of a Maine State Police K-9. Agents then executed the search warrant on Lawrence and his vehicle."

Authorities say that when they searched his vehicle, they found the cash and cocaine, which has a street value of $127,000.

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They secured a search warrant for his home at 44 Webber Pond Road, but found nothing more at the residence when they went to investigate.

Read More: Maine Drug Agents Searched Homes in Madison and North Anson

Lawrence was arrested and taken to the Kennebec County Correctional facility, where he is being held on $92,000 bail until he's able to make an appearance in court.

He is facing felony charges of Aggravated Trafficking, Eluding a Police Officer, and Refusing to Submit to Arrest or Detention.

Authorities expect additional arrests to be made in this case, as the investigation remains active.