Maine Drug Enforcement AgencyORIENT — Three people were arrested and charged with trafficking and manufacturing methamphetamine on Wednesday after state drug enforcement agents said they uncovered a clandestine lab at a residence in Orient.
Maine Drug Enforcement agents uncovered a “significant amount” of evidence at the scene of the Route 1 residence of Zachary Faulkner, 29, MDEA Cmdr. Peter Arno said Thursday. Faulkner also was charged with violating probation and thus not granted bail on the trafficking offense. Arno did not know why Faulkner was on probation.
Two others living with Faulkner — Angel Stoddard, 18, of Orient, and 20-year-old Chase Honeywell — also each were charged with trafficking-manufacturing methamphetamine. Bail was set at $10,000 for both individuals on the felony charges.
All three were taken to the Aroostook County Jail in Houlton and remained at the facility Thursday afternoon, according to corrections officers.
It was the 87th methamphetamine incident investigated so far this year, according to Stephen McCausland, spokesman for the Maine Department of Public Safety. There were just 56 such cases in all of 2015.
Arno said Thursday that members of the MDEA’s clandestine lab enforcement team went to the Orient home late Wednesday afternoon after Faulkner’s probation officers received a tip “that he could be involved in methamphetamine manufacturing.”
Probation officers did a check of Faulkner’s home Wednesday and, after finding evidence of possible methamphetamine manufacturing, notified the MDEA clandestine lab response team, Arno said.
“We secured a search warrant and executed it that night,” he said. “We were on the scene until about 10 p.m. Wednesday night.”
The commander said that all of the evidence indicates that the accused were using a process commonly known as the “one pot” or “shake and bake” method to manufacture methamphetamine.
The MDEA was assisted at the scene by members of Danforth Fire and Rescue, the Maine Department of Environmental Protection, the Aroostook County Sheriff’s Office and the Maine Health and Environmental Testing Laboratory.
Arno said the investigation is ongoing and more arrests are likely.
