According to a press release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, two Biddeford men were convicted for drug trafficking and other felony offenses.
The two men were found guilty on June 17, of interfering with commerce by robbery; conspiring to traffic cocaine, cocaine base, and fentanyl; using a firearm during and in relation to drug trafficking; and illegally possessing a firearm. The verdict came following a six-day jury trial in U.S. District Court in Portland.
According to court records and testimony at trial, Nathaniel Ashwood, 37, and Lloyd Lyttle, 35, of Biddeford distributed narcotics in the Biddeford area and defended their narcotics distribution interests with violence and threats of violence.
Witnesses at trial testified that during the evening of July 28, 2023, Ashwood and Lyttle robbed and assaulted a rival drug dealer and two other individuals in the area of Cutts Street in Biddeford using firearms and physical force to intimidate local residents and establish their control of the local drug market.
At the time Lyttle and Ashwood committed these assaults they had both been convicted of felony offenses that prohibited them from possessing firearms.
Ashwood faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 20 years and a maximum sentence of life. Lyttle faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 14 years with a maximum sentence of life.
Both men will be sentenced after the completion of a presentence investigative report by the U.S. Probation Office. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration and Biddeford Police Department investigated the case, with the assistance of the Springfield, Vermont Police Department.
Randy Seaver is the editor and founder of the Biddeford Gazette. He may be contacted by email: randy@randyseaver.com
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