Three people were charged Tuesday after Auburn police were called to Lighthouse Discount Liquor at 301 Main St. where staff reported a bystander found a large bag of illegal drugs in the parking lot that came from a vehicle.

Auburn police said they arrested three of the four people in the vehicle when they returned to the store for the drugs.

A subsequent search of the truck revealed additional illegal contraband, including cocaine, cocaine base, and fentanyl, along with a significant amount of cash believed to be drug proceeds, according to an Auburn Police Department post on Facebook.

Charged were Jerome Doyle, 55, of Lewiston on one count of aggravated trafficking in schedule drugs and violation of condition of release; Daniel Konopka, 38, of New Vineyard on one count of aggravated trafficking in schedule drugs; and Christina Drinkwater, 48, of Greene on one count of unlawful possession of fentanyl powder.

Penalties on the charges, if convicted, range from a maximum of five to 30 years in prison.

Doyle is being held without bail at the Androscoggin County Jail in Auburn. Konopka was released on $5,000 cash bail and Drinkwater remains at the jail until she gets a supervised release agreement and posts $500 cash bail, according to a corrections officer.

The investigation is ongoing.

It all started when “individuals in a pickup truck had unknowingly dropped a large bag of illegal drugs in the parking lot,” according to police. “A bystander witnessed the mishap, secured the bag, and alerted store staff, who then contacted the Auburn police.”

Just prior to the officers’ arrival on scene, the same group of individuals drove back to the store in the same truck, apparently to retrieve the very drugs officers were going to investigate, according to police.

“The timing, while unfortunate for the suspects, was ideal for our officers, who were able to detain all four occupants,” the police post said.