The Maine Drug Enforcement Agency and the Knox County Sheriff’s Office arrested two out-of-state individuals Wednesday, May 27, on drug trafficking charges following a traffic stop that uncovered cocaine, a handgun, and nearly $10,000 in suspected drug proceeds.
22-year-old Mariah Grover, who resides in both Texas and Maine, was charged with Unlawful Trafficking in Scheduled W Drugs (Cocaine). 27-year-old Jefferson Jazzir Arias, who has ties to Texas and California, faces a more serious charge of Aggravated Trafficking in Scheduled W Drugs (Cocaine). Arias also has two outstanding extraditable warrants: one for Robbery in California and one for Theft in Texas.
The arrests stemmed from information received by the MDEA’s Mid-Coast Task Force and Knox County Sheriff’s Office about suspected drug trafficking activity on Vinalhaven Island and aboard the ferry connecting Vinalhaven to Rockland.
Investigators identified a vehicle occupied by Grover and Arias, leading to a traffic stop in Thomaston on May 27. A search of the vehicle yielded 66 grams of suspected cocaine, a .45 caliber handgun, $9,500 in cash believed to be drug proceeds, and additional items consistent with drug trafficking.
Both suspects were transported to the Knox County Jail. Grover is being held on $50,000 cash bail, while Arias is held on $75,000 cash bail. They are scheduled to make their initial court appearances, Friday, May 29.
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