NEW VINEYARD – Three people face charges of trafficking Methamphetamine after a lab, allegedly equipped with chemicals was set up to produce the illegal drug in a quiet residential street here.
According to Commander Darrell Crandall of the Maine Drug Enforcement Agency, early Friday morning officers from several law enforcement agencies executed a search warrant of the home at 96 Fenwick Road. Due to the unstable nature of hazardous chemicals used to produce Meth, the MDEA’s Clandestine Drug Laboratory Enforcement Team converged on the home wearing chemical suits and carrying air monitoring equipment while processing the crime scene.
Team members seized chemicals and equipment alleged to have been recently used to make Meth and were at the scene collecting evidence most of the day.
Charged with trafficking in Schedule W drugs are Nancy Barden, 57 and Charity Haines, 29, who live in Franklin County and William Bart Christopher, 39 from Missouri. Christopher is also charged with violation of conditions of release because he was on bail for an unrelated unlawful furnishing scheduled drugs charge.
If convicted, the suspects face up to ten years in prison.
MDEA was assisted at the scene by Farmington Police Department, Franklin County Sheriff’s Department, Maine State Police, Farmington Fire Department and the Maine Department of Environmental Protection.
According to Crandall, Maine’s meth lab activity has been on the decline following state and federal legislation that restricted the sale of the Methamphetamine precursors ephedrine and pseudoephedrine. Since April of 2005, MDEA’s lab team has investigated 64 reports of lab activity, seizing 15 labs or laboratory dump sites. This lab is the first confirmed lab seized in Maine this year.
If anyone has information on drug labs or any other drug related crime, they may call MDEA toll free at 1-800-452-6457 or may leave information on the MDEA Web site: www.maine.gov/dps/mdea/drugtip.html
Thank you. Ten years is nothing for this crime. Making and selling meth ruins peoples lives they should get life with no parole