A man’s attempt to hide illegal drugs from law enforcement by flushing them down the toilet of a Waterville residence was thwarted after the baggies of crack cocaine and fentanyl clogged the toilet, leading to the man’s arrest, the Maine Drug Enforcement Agency (MDEA) announced Thursday.
Omar Sims Marquez, 21, who the MDEA says recently moved to Waterville from Connecticut, was arrested on Thursday on charges of unlawful aggravated trafficking in schedule drugs (fentanyl), unlawful trafficking in schedule drugs (cocaine base) and falsifying physical evidence.
According to MDEA, the arrest comes after a three-month investigation into illegal drug trafficking occurring at 18 Edwards St. in Waterville, where Marquez was reportedly staying.
When executing a search warrant at the Edwards Street residence on Thursday morning, Waterville Police officers found Marquez fleeing from the home’s second-floor bathroom and heard the sound of a toilet being flushed, MDEA said.
Police discovered several plastic baggies had clogged the toilet, which were later tested and revealed to contain approximately 35 grams of fentanyl and cocaine base, more commonly known as crack.
During a search of the residence, officers also found about $3,600 in suspected drug proceeds.
Marquez was taken to the Kennebec County Jail, where his bail was set at $240,000 cash.
“The MDEA stands committed to working with all federal, state, county, and local law enforcement partners in order to continue to identify and disrupt drug trafficking organizations who are attempting to distribute illicit drugs like fentanyl and methamphetamine in the State of Maine,” the agency stated on Thursday.
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