Melissa and Troy Simmons were arrested and charged with drug trafficking.

BRIDGTON – Police seized 96 marijuana plants and arrested a Sweden Road couple on charges of aggravated trafficking and cultivating marijuana Monday.

Arrested were Melissa Jean Simmons, 35, and Troy Jason Simmons, 31, both of 590 Sweden Road. Two search warrants were executed, the first one at 8:30 a.m., which included deputies from the Oxford County Sheriff’s Department, agents from the Maine Drug Enforcement Agency and troopers from the Maine State Police.

A farmhouse at 480 Old Waterford Road, Center Lovell, was searched and police said that one person was home when they arrived.

Police said the farmhouse had a grow room in the basement with an automated, high intensity, grow-light system, as well as exhaust and air-circulation and watering systems for 36 marijuana plants. Also found in the search, according to police, were scales, records and a number of firearms – one of which was a modified, short-barreled shotgun. Evidence of recently harvested marijuana, estimated to have been over 30 plants, was also found at the farmhouse, according to a written statement by Oxford County Sheriff Capt. James Miclon.

During the search, Melissa Simmons arrived and allegedly told an MDEA agent that she was involved in the marijuana-growing operation. Police said she told the agent that the farmhouse was used “as a grow house,” while she and her husband lived in Bridgton.

Deputy Chancey Libby, the lead investigator in this case, and the other officers then went to the Sweden Road home and arrested Troy Simmons there.

Later that afternoon, Libby obtained a search warrant for the Bridgton home, which allegedly yielded another, larger marijuana growing operation in the basement containing 60 more marijuana plants.

Like the grow room in Lovell, police said this room was set up and wired “professionally” with automated, high-intensity grow light systems, watering systems and air venting/circulation systems. There was also an adjacent room used as a nursery for new marijuana plants. Also found in the home were several more firearms, two of which were fully loaded, according to police.

The couple were taken to the Oxford County jail where they later posted $1,000 cash bail each. Both reported having no jobs.

The raid came after “reports from the community were received by police indicating that this activity was occurring,” police said. Other Sheriff’s Office deputies contributing to the investigation included Cpl. Matthew Baker, Cpl. Timothy Ontengco and Deputy Brian Landis.

In the past several months, the Oxford County Sheriff’s Office and MDEA have jointly shut down four, indoor marijuana growing operations in Oxford County, which were responsible for a significant amount of marijuana earmarked for distribution in the county, Miclon said.

Miclon said drug tip hot lines – 1-800-733-1421 for the sheriff’s office and 1-800-452-6457 for the MDEA – have helped during “this time of year when marijuana cultivating activity is at its peak.”