FARMINGTON – Two Canadian citizens have been indicting on trafficking and illegal importation charges by the Franklin County grand jury this week, after they allegedly entered the country with more than 4.6 pounds of cocaine last year.
Jermaine Phillips, 41, of Brampton in Ontario, Canada, and Shanna Brown, 38, of Cornwall, also in Ontario, were indicted on two counts each by the grand jury: aggravated trafficking in scheduled drugs, a Class A felony; and illegal importation of scheduled drugs, a Class B felony. Phillips and Brown were arrested after their vehicle was searched at the Coburn Gore-Woburn Border Crossing on Nov. 12, 2021 and drugs were reportedly discovered.
According to an affidavit filed with the Franklin County court system by Maine Drug Enforcement Agency Special Agent Nicholas Gulliver, he was contacted by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Special Agent Kenneth Bradley on Nov. 12. Bradley told Gulliver that he and the U.S. Border Patrol interviewed Phillips and Brown after they entered the country. During that interview, a K-9 reportedly alerted on their vehicle’s trunk. A suitcase was discovered inside, containing 4.63 pounds of what law enforcement believed was cocaine, divided into two bricks. Both bricks were tested by the Border Patrol, with the results indicating the presence of cocaine HCL powder.
Per the affidavit, Phillips and Brown told Border Patrol that they accidentally came to the border crossing when their GPS directed them along that route. They said that they didn’t notice that they were entering the United States.
Gulliver arrested Phillips and Brown on trafficking charges that were aggravated due to the amount of cocaine allegedly transported. Both were taken to the Franklin County Detention Center in Farmington. They’ve been there since November, with bail set at $350,000 on Phillips and $100,000 on Brown.
An indictment means that, after considering the evidence the district attorney has presented, the grand jury believes there is probable cause, or a “reasonable belief” that the crime occurred.
