Rockland — A local man made an initial appearance in 6th District Court in Rockland on Aug. 10 to answer charges of drug trafficking.

Christopher Donohoe, 26, of Hope appeared before Judge David Kennedy, a visiting judge from West Bath.

The judge set bail at $2,500 cash or $25,000 surety. Donohoe has a status conference set for Sept. 26. His bail will be reviewable upon appointment of a regular court attorney. As of Friday afternoon, Donohoe had not met bail.

The case goes back to June 20 to a meeting with Special Agent Allan Weaver Sr., a 31-year veteran police officer, now with the Maine Drug Enforcement Agency, and Senior Special Agent James Pease, also with MDEA, Lt. Reginald Walker from the Knox County Sheriff's Office, Detective Christopher Young from the Rockland Police Department, and a special agent working in an undercover capacity.

The special agent had been communicating with Donohoe, who had agreed to meet him in the Walmart parking lot in Rockland and sell $300 worth of heroin, according to the police affidavit.

The agent was fitted with a body-wire radio transmitter so that his conversations with Donohoe could be recorded, according to the police affidavit.

After observing the heroin transaction between the agent and Donohoe, Weaver said he watched Donohoe walk back to a 2000 black Lincoln Navigator and meet with a black man, who had gotten out of the car. The black man then walked away on Camden Street.

Weaver said he then met with the undercover agent, who, according to the police affidavit, turned over eight small plastic Ziploc bags that contained a brown powdery substance. The MDEA agent said he had conducted a chemical field test on the brown powder that produced a positive result for heroin.

On June 22, the operation was held again at the Hannaford parking lot in Camden at 11:41 a.m. and Weaver witnessed a transaction similar to the one June 20.

On June 28, the operation was repeated for a $200 buy of heroin at a parking lot in Rockland. Again, the brown powder tested positive for heroin.

By this time, agents had gained Donohoe's confidence and agreed to meet him again for a bigger buy, according to the police affidavit.

The surveillance included photographs and sound recordings from the radio transmissions.

Courier Publications reporter George Chappell can be reached at 207-594-4401, ext. 117, or at gchappell@courierpublicationsllc.com.