A 38-year-old Bangor man has been sentenced to nearly 5 years in prison for his part in a drug ring that distributed "bath salts" in Penobscot, Aroostook and Knox counties.

Darrin Klimek/ThinkStock
Darrin Klimek/ThinkStock
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The U.S. Attorney's Office  says Daniel Hines was sentenced in U.S. District Court in Bangor to 70 months in prison and three years of supervised release for conspiracy to possess with the intent to distribute the chemical compound MDPV.

According to court records, between April and December 2011, the members of the conspiracy distributed large quantities of the illegal drug in Maine.  In November 2011, following the seizure of a large amount of bath salts from a residence in Bangor, prosecutors say Hines helped remove drugs from the residence that the police had not found during their search.

This additional quantity of MDPV was eventually distributed to another person, who was later caught by law enforcement.

Hines is one of eighteen defendants who pleaded guilty to conspiring with Ryan Ellis of Greenbush to distribute the drug.  Ellis previously pleaded guilty and awaits sentencing.

The case was investigated by the Maine Drug Enforcement Agency with assistance from the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, and the Brewer and Bangor Police Departments.

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