Maine Man Had $3M Worth of Fentanyl Mailed To Him At Local Grill

A man from Auburn, Maine is potentially going to take the cake for the dumbest crime of all time after a package showed up at a local restaurant with his name on it.

Police say 41-year-old Jeremy Mercier was arrested on charges of aggravated illegal importation of drugs, aggravated trafficking in fentanyl and violation of bail.

The owners of Mac's Grill at 1052 Minot Avenue called authorities to report they discovered what they believed to be drugs after opening a package that was mailed to their restaurant.

“Employees of the restaurant believed the crate to contain a shipment of mugs they had recently ordered,” Deputy Chief Tim Cougle of the Auburn Police Department wrote in a statement sent to local media outlets. “When employees opened the crate, they located a plastic tote, which contained what the employees believed was a significant quantity of illegal drugs.”

Police say the crate contained about 14 kilos worth of fentanyl, the synthetic opioid sweeping headlines for its potency more than 50 times that of morphine.

Later, Mercier showed up to the restaurant looking to pick up a package accidentally shipped to them, which is when he was promptly arrested. Investigators said they also seized $2,780 worth of proceeds from what they suspect to be drug transactions.

The shipping container had been made to look like it contained motorcycle parts, according to Sun Journal. His name was printed right onto the shipping label.

Mercier has no connection to the restaurant, so it's not clear why the package was sent there, however, he does own a local motorcycle shop, which would explain the reason the box was made to look like bike parts.

He was taken to the Androscoggin County Jail in Auburn, where he is held without bail. The case is still under investigation, and could present federal charges as well.

In 2007, Mercier was sentenced to 11 years in prison after he was convicted of heading up a local drug ring that sold the crack cocaine and marijuana supply to the users in Androscoggin County.

Read more at Sun Journal