SABATTUS — Police have eliminated a sophisticated growing operation on Bowdoinham Road, finding more than half a million dollars' worth of marijuana growing inside what looked, from the outside, like a garage, Police Chief Anthony Ward said.
Police seized cash and processed marijuana from a Sabattus garage Friday.
Marijuana plants were seized by police from a garage on Bowdoinham Road in Sabattus on Friday.
Marijuana plants were seized from a garage on Bowdoinham Road in Sabattus.
David P. Bizier, 48, who also lived at 227 Bowdoinham Road, was arrested on a charge of unlawful trafficking in scheduled drugs.
Ward said Lt. Matthew Prince and Detective Sgt. Gary Baillargeon received tips two weeks ago about the operation and gathered enough evidence to obtain a search warrant Thursday. They went in Friday with the Maine Drug Enforcement Agency.
Police seized hundreds of plants, just under a pound of processed marijuana, more than $3,000 cash and a Dodge pickup truck. MDEA gave the marijuana an estimated street value of $600,000.
The plants, in various stages of growth, were packed inside one building with a lighting and irrigation system, Ward said. Other outbuildings were used for equipment.
"This was a very sophisticated grow," he said.
He credited his officers for their quick work and said he was pleased to think about the drugs taken off local streets.
Bizier was taken to the Androscoggin County Jail on Friday where he posted bail.
kskelton@sunjournal.com
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Hhffffffp--Shoot, man, we
Hhffffffp--Shoot, man, we only ordered enough for a couple of joints. It ain't our fault they overshipped. We didn't want to break the law by shipping it back, so we figured we'd --Hhffffffp, just hang onto it for a while. Hhffffffp-- Man, this is good s***, man.
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Would you like to respond? Login or create a new account. You'll need to verify your account before you can respond.Pirate, Wasn't it still legal when you were a kid......
Before 'Reefer Madness' was released in 1936
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Would you like to respond? Login or create a new account. You'll need to verify your account before you can respond.When I was a kid it barely
When I was a kid it barely existed. The only ones we were aware of who smoked weed, were musicians. Our 'drug of choice' was beer. Was that square or what? I like the ad. Slightly before my time, though.
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Would you like to respond? Login or create a new account. You'll need to verify your account before you can respond.Honestly a waste of taxpayer money
I have to say I think marijuana bust are a waste of time and money. It is now legal for medicinal use and if the government just taxed it and legalized it we may actually make a dent in state and federal deficits. I am completely against the hard stuff but marijuana? Here is an interesting national statistic....
" State and local justice costs for marijuana arrests are now estimated to be $7.6 billion, approximately $10,400 per arrest. Of this total, annual police costs are $3.7 billion, judicial/legal costs are $853 million, and correctional costs are $3.1 billion."
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Would you like to respond? Login or create a new account. You'll need to verify your account before you can respond.I hope
He got a receipt for that........ ;)
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Would you like to respond? Login or create a new account. You'll need to verify your account before you can respond.Marijuana Found
This is a great story. I live in Sabattus and find that the small police dept that we have do a great job. The dept has the highest conviction rate also. The problem is when the suspect gets to the court system, the courts let us down by releasing the guilty. The country is in a sad state of affairs. Great job by all involved.
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