LEWISTON — Bail was set at $50,000 Monday for a Lewiston man arrested Friday night on two charges of operating a methamphetamine lab in Mechanic Falls.
James Ludlow, 41, made an initial appearance at Lewiston District Court following Friday’s arrest, and faces two charges of unlawful operation of a methamphetamine lab.
Kimberly Lothrop, 25, of Monmouth and Daniel Kelly, 45, of Mechanic Falls were also arrested Friday night on charges of unlawful operation of a methamphetamine lab and conspiracy to commit operation of a meth lab.
Bail was set at $5,000 secured for Kelly, and $500 secured for Lothrop during their initial appearances on Monday.
All three remained at Androscoggin County Jail as of Tuesday afternoon.
Maine Drug Enforcement Agency Supervisor Matt Cashman said Saturday that information in Lewiston led investigators to the alleged meth lab near the intersection of Pigeon Hill and Austin roads Friday night.
According to a police affidavit, MDEA agent Nick Gagnon said he had received information that Ludlow was manufacturing meth with Lothrop and Kelly.
He added that he knew Ludlow had been to prison before for methamphetamine-related crimes, and had been recently buying pseudoephedrine, a common decongestant used in the creation of meth, two to four times a month.
The state has regulations that require customers to provide ID when purchasing pseudoephedrine, and prevents retailers from selling more than 3.6 grams of pseudoephedrine products to a person within a 24-hour period, or 9 grams within a 30-day period.
Gagnon said in the affidavit that he reviewed the National Precursor Log Exchange, an electronic logging system used by pharmacies and law enforcement agencies to track the sales of over-the-counter cold and allergy medications containing precursors to meth.
The NPLX revealed that Ludlow and Lothrop had been purchasing psuedoephedrine multiple times a month.
On the evening of June 17, Gagnon said he received word that Lothrop had purchased pseudoephedrine at the CVS on East Avenue in Lewiston, and again at Hannaford on Sabattus Street.
While investigating, Gagnon said that he saw Lothrop’s Ford Focus in the parking lot of a Cumberland Farms, with Ludlow driving and Lothrop in the passenger seat.
Gagnon said in the affidavit that he and Mechanic Falls police officer Shawn Gagnon were able to track Ludlow and Lothrop to a wooded area near the intersection of Pigeon Hill and Austin roads in Mechanic Falls.
Gagnon said that he found Lothrop and Kelly standing in front of the open trunk of her Ford Focus, and observed Ludlow nearby, wearing white gloves.
He also observed a “one-pot” meth lab in the trunk of the vehicle.
Gagnon applied for a search warrant and subsequently found a Gatorade bottle in the trunk which was filled with ingredients used to manufacture meth, according to the affidavit.
Ludlow has been arrested on meth lab charges before; in 2011, he pleaded guilty to a count of unlawful trafficking in illegal drugs after a raid at his home where he was cooking methamphetamine.
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