ALFRED (AP) – Marijuana growers used to set up large plots deep in Maine’s wilderness and let Mother Nature do the work until harvest time. The recent arrests of two men in York County underscores a trend toward more sophisticated indoor operations.

Modern growers are investing thousands of dollars into special lighting, plant food and automated feeding systems, as well as elaborate heating, ventilation and soundproofing.

“On the outside it appears like suburbia, but on the inside they are producing a crop every 90 days,” said Roy McKinney, director of the Maine Drug Enforcement Agency.

The recent York County arrests had all the hallmarks of those more sophisticated operations. One suspect owned the two properties in Lyman and Arundel, and lived in one of the homes with his family while growing marijuana in a hidden underground chamber.

The electricity was diverted from power lines before it reached meters so the high energy use wouldn’t be detected, and there was a diesel generator for backup power.

It’s a growing trend. Over the past two years, drug agents uncovered more than 100 indoor growing operations, a significant number considering there wasn’t a lot of talk about major indoor growing operations even five years ago, McKinney said.

York County Sheriff Maurice Ouellette said such operations are on the rise, particularly in rural areas where real estates is affordable and there are fewer nosy neighbors.

Sanford Police Sgt. Craig Anderson, who supervises the drug agency’s efforts in York County, said indoor operations are difficult to investigate.

“The outdoor operations are usually stumbled upon by hunters or hikers or people out for a walk in the woods; but with indoor operations, it comes down to somebody knowing about it and letting us know,” Anderson said.

McKinney said the Maine DEA has increased its assistance to local agencies but funding remains a problem.

Federal funding for the state agency has dropped 63 percent in recent years. The Legislature has made up the difference but not increased the funding, leaving the agency at a flat funding, McKinney said.

“Rural drug crime in general is a serious issue,” he said. “There are such finite enforcement resources in the rural area.”

Copy the Story Link