RUMFORD – A third person was arrested early Tuesday evening in connection with Thursday’s simultaneous drug raids in Roxbury and Rumford by local, state and federal police.
Jimmy Wayne Lewis, 37, of Rumford, was arrested by Maine Drug Enforcement agent Tony Milligan and charged with aggravated trafficking by manufacture of methamphetamine, a Class A felony, and violation of probation.
Due to the probation violation, there was no bail and Lewis was transported to Oxford County jail.
Lawrence Edwards, 47, and Melanie Fogg, 29, were arrested Thursday night at their 16 North Hillside St. residence by Oxford County Deputy Chancey Libby.
Each was charged with aggravated marijuana cultivation after police found five growing marijuana plants under lights in a basement room and eight harvested marijuana plants hanging out to dry in the clothes closet of the master bedroom, said Gerry Baril.
Baril, special agent supervisor for the Maine Drug Enforcement Agency, said that although Thursday’s drug raid in Roxbury failed to produce evidence of any current use or manufacture of meth, police did find and confiscate several firearms.
The assortment included two .22-caliber pistols, a 20-gauge shotgun, and six rifles: a 30-30, a .32-caliber, an 8mm Mauser military gun, and three .22-caliber weapons.
Because Edwards, formerly of Texas and Florida, was a convicted felon with at least two prior felony drug convictions in Texas and a felony marijuana cultivation arrest in Florida, he was also charged with being a convicted felon in possession of firearms.
After being booked in Rumford’s police station, Fogg was released on $1,040 cash bail, while Edwards failed to post $10,000 cash bail and was transported to Oxford County jail.
Edwards was, however, released on bail Friday after an Oxford County Superior Court judge reduced his bail to $2,500 cash despite objections by state prosecutors, Baril said.
The arrests followed a week-long investigation into the reported manufacture and use of methamphetamine by occupants of the Roxbury residence, which is located across from the town office.
Police learned about the suspected meth lab by accident.
What initially began as a county investigation of a dog owned by Edwards and Fogg that attacked and killed a neighbor’s dog, escalated into the reported discharging of firearms by persons associated with the address, Baril said late Tuesday afternoon.
It also involved frequent purchases of Benzedrex Inhalers by persons associated with the Roxbury address, he added. That was significant because the over-the-counter nasal decongestant can be converted to a low-grade form of methamphetamine.
“Meth is not the drug of choice in Maine, but it’s the most dangerous drug because it instills a propensity for violence. Essentially, people using it are snorting poison,” Baril said.
State and federal drug enforcement agents canvassing Rumford and Mexico pharmacies, determined that several individuals associated with Edwards and living on and off the North Hillside Street premises, were identified as suspects purchasing the inhalers.
According to the investigation, Baril said the suspects would break open the inhalers to extract the active ingredient, propylhexedrine, from the inhaler and mixed it with pseudoephedrine, which is found in nasal decongestant tablets.
The acidity was then cut with a drain cleaner to manufacture “crystal meth,” which, depending on quality, has a street value of between $100 and $200 per gram, Baril added.
Because of the hazardous nature of the waste by-product of the clandestine manufacture of methamphetamine, two state certified chemists with the Maine Health and Environmental Testing Laboratory, and response units with the Maine Department of Environmental Protection participated in search warrant raid in Roxbury.
They were joined by 10 MDEA agents, four U.S. MDEA agents, five Oxford County deputies, five Rumford officers and the Clandestine Laboratory Enforcement Team, which consists of federal and state drug enforcement agency agents.
“It sounds like overkill, but we need to be careful with meth and its hazardous by-products,” Baril added.
Simultaneous raids occurred Thursday in Rumford at 24 Falmouth St. and a Waldo Street residence by officers with search warrants. No one was arrested at either residence but police did confiscate a Benzedrex inhaler and a jar containing muriatic acid at the Waldo Street address.
Muriatic acid is a reagent commonly used in the reduction of over-the-counter decongestants in the manufacturing process of converting the precursors into meth, Baril said.
“Muriatic acid, also known as hydrochloric acid, can cause severe burns to the skin and its vapors are toxic,” he added. The hazardous material was turned over to the chemists, who neutralized the substance for destruction.
Evidence collected during the pre-raid investigation and follow-up work on the manufacture of methamphetamine by suspects in Roxbury and Rumford, will be presented to either a state or federal grand jury for additional charges and further arrests, Baril added.
And, as a result of Thursday’s drug busts, Baril said Mexico and Rumford pharmacies removed Benzedrex Inhalers from their store shelves due to the item’s propensity for abuse.
tkarkos@sunjournal.com
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