Mugs or drugs? Restaurant expecting tableware shipment receives $3 million worth of fentanyl

Authorities arrested a man Friday who allegedly had drugs shipped from Arizona to a restaurant in Maine, the Auburn Police Departmentannounced in a statement.

Employees at Mac's Grill were expecting a shipment of mugs they had recently ordered, ABC News reported. When they opened the large wooden crate, however, they discovered $3 million worth of fentanyl in a plastic tote.

"This is an active, ongoing investigation and we do anticipate that our state and federal partners will be joining this investigation," Auburn Police Department Deputy Chief Tim Cougle said in a statement.

A shipping label on the tote bore the address of the restaurant along with a contact name of "Jeremy Mercier," APD said. Mercier does not work at the restaurant.

Employees called the police, who confirmed that the employees were correct. There were drugs in the crate, not mugs. To be specific, about $3 million worth of fentanyl.

It took officers and detectives only about an hour to intercept 41-year-old Mercier, who turned up at the restaurant asking about the shipment. He was out on pre-conviction bail for an unrelated criminal charge when he sauntered into the restaurant to retrieve the package.

Police say this was not Mercier's first rodeo in the world of drug trafficking. He spent several years in federal prison after being convicted for distributing cocaine in 2007.

In addition to the 14 kilos of suspected fentanyl he had shipped to Mac's Grill, APD seized $2,780 (pictured above) from Mercier as evidence of drug proceeds.

Mercier is being held at the Androscoggin County Jail with no bail. He is charged with aggravated illegal importation of scheduled drugs, a class A felony; aggravated trafficking of scheduled drugs, also a Class A felony; and violation of conditional release, a class E misdemeanor.

"The instances of overdose in our [town], and surrounding, communities is awful, and fentanyl seems to be front and center when it comes to fatalities," Mike Peters, co-owner of Mac's Grill, told WMTW-TV, adding that he is glad the drugs were kept off the streets.

"It's very sad."

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