Two charged with drug trafficking at traffic stop

WEST PARIS — Two men were charged with aggravated drug trafficking Friday night on Route 26 after they were pulled over for a seat belt enforcement detail.

Samuel G. Hooker, 32, of Boston was charged with aggravated drug trafficking, aggravated furnishing of scheduled drugs and illegal importation of scheduled drugs. Bashir A. Jama, 32, of 78 Maple St. Apt. 34 in Lewiston, was charged with unlawful trafficking in scheduled drugs.

According to a report by Jason Wing of the Maine State Police, police were stopping every car looking for seat belt violations and vehicle defects when a vehicle driven by Jama pulled up. Wing wrote that there was no inspection sticker and the vehicle smelled of marijuana.

Wing said Jama denied having marijuana, then said his passenger, Hooker, had been smoking. Wing said he helped Hooker out of the car and into his wheelchair. Police found a bottle of Vicodin on the passenger's side, and Hooker eventually admitted to having crack cocaine hidden in his underwear.

According to the report, marijuana and an object Wing believed to be cocaine were found in Jama's pocket. Jama, who told police he didn't know Hooker and picked him up in Oxford, was charged under the accomplice clause, Wing wrote.

On the way to the jail, according to Wing, Hooker admitted he had been transporting crack from Massachusetts to “a few locations in Maine including Rumford.”

Hooker's bail was set at $10,000 cash or $50,000 property. Jama's was set at $1,000 cash or a Maine pretrial services contract. On Tuesday at their initial hearing, defense attorney Maurice Porter said Hooker is on federal probation and may be on a federal probation hold.

Both men are due in Oxford County Superior Court on Sept. 4.

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Richard Begin's picture

Drugies get Pinched

It serves these Morons right for getting Caught . as it is I have a friend who knew something about the two accused. They were coming to visit a relative in Western Maine who was one to Cringe when these Social Misfits were to show up at their Relatives home.

Now Robert McQueeney. Your posting have Demonstrated to some of us Law abiding Folks that uninformed lack of Imagination Dolts like you are still out there.

Robert could you please demonstrate to me just how the Actions by the State Police were those of a Police State environment. I am actully still chuckling from what you first wrote.

I'm delighted that the Two accused were stopped and arressted.

FRANK EARLEY's picture

Its not just Maine,

I don't mind a few minutes delay. I've been stopped at check points all over the country. As long as they show results, there's a lot of drivers who need to be stopped. The only one I used to hate, was the residency check point. They used to take place north of Augusta, in the south bound side of ninety five. The traffic would be backed up for three miles from the rest area. I never was to sure exactly what they were looking for, but they did back up traffic. After waiting in traffic for one to two hours, trucks were just waved through. At least it wasn't a weigh station.

Wilma Turcotte's picture

Legitimate check points

Since I can remember there has been police checkpoints from time to time and especially over holidays. The fact that they caught two druggies that were not just using it but also selling it makes the fact that a few people got "tied up" for a few minutes seem pretty petty to say the least. Most time its checkpoints like this that catch violators and no police can just happen to stop the right car and not "bother" others. I would gladly sacrifice a few minutes everyday if it meant getting those with drugs, without licenses, insurance or legal to be here.. Now if we could only not worry about their being booked and let go on their "own recognizance" Its pretty obvious in most cases that that is not a very secure thing. That is like saying "don't bother the ones that ain't doing anything wrong but catch all the bad guys." If you are not in violation then you will continue on. It is being proven over and over by not checking "everyone" that the bad, illegal and those out to do this country harm will continue to do so. There are no special rules. If I need a license, legal identification then so should everyone. No more "special privileges or treatment." Have certainly seen enough of that already.

Robert McQueeney's picture

I may not have been entirely

I may not have been entirely clear on my feelings about this subject. I am all for"getting the bad guys". But when it starts to erode our freedoms, especially when we are stopped for doing absolutely nothing wrong.... Well....

I would very much prefer to see that the authorities actually do something with dangerous drivers when they catch them, instead of releasing them and letting them go do it again. How many times have we heard about a driver with multiple drunk driving convictions just getting caught and released and eventually killing someone with their habits. I do not fault the police, they do all they can. It is the court system as a whole that releases these dangerous drivers to go out and do it again. How about the convicted dangerous drivers getting their freedoms eroded, instead of the drivers who are doing absolutely nothing wrong.

Why do legal drivers, who are doing absolutely nothing wrong have to have their freedoms eroded, on account of known, convicted dangerous drivers?

Robert McQueeney's picture

Is this now a police state?

I find it hard to be upset that a drug trafficker was caught, but I do have to wonder about how many people were detained by the police, for doing absolutely nothing wrong.

How many people were doing absolutely nothing wrong, just driving down Rt 26, only to have the police stop them. What was the apparent violation? What was the reasonable cause? Was reasonable cause simply that they were driving?

I also have to ask, in this checkpoint, how many officers were tied up resulting in two arrests from one vehicle? Typically, how many arrests or incidents would that same number of officers have if they were out on regular patrol? Is this the best use of of our police officers?

What I see at these checkpoints is many law abiding citizens, doing absolutely nothing wrong, getting stopped by the police, without cause.

Why am I thinking back to a Hogan's Heros clip of the gestapo asking "Papers please"?



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