ALFRED — The marijuana bust Wednesday night in Lyman and Waterboro, which yielded a total of nearly 1,000 marijuana plants and 10 pounds of processed marijuana, was one of the largest in York County history, said Sheriff Maurice Ouellette.

“This puts quite a crimp into a major source of marijuana in the York County area,” said Ouellette, who credited “approachable” officers and the willingness of area residents to talk to them as vital in uncovering drug operations.

He said this case and others ”“ he recalled another indoor grow in Lyman a few years ago and a 80-plant bust in Waterboro last week ”“ indicate a trend.

“The criminal element targets these (rural) areas where law enforcement is limited,” said Ouellette.

He said some rural communities like Waterboro are “fighting back” by employing a contract deputy, who dedicates 40 hours a week to the municipality.

“All told, people are beginning to say ”˜enough is enough’ and we’ve been getting a lot of information” about criminal activity in the area, Ouellette said.

Eight officers, including sheriff’s deputies, U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration agents and the DEA Task Force, found 184 plants and five pounds of marijuana at a Lyman home and 800 more plants and five more pounds of processed marijuana at a warehouse in Waterboro Wednesday night. Sheriff’s deputies estimated the marijuana had a street value of about $400,000.

Ouellette said the seizure and arrest are the culmination of an investigation that spanned several months.

This morning, Robert Ryder, a 51-year-old builder, was scheduled to make his first appearance  at York County Superior Court. He’s been held at York County Jail in lieu of $25,000  cash bail since his arrest. Ryder is charged with Class C felony marijuana cultivation but Ouellette said the case could move on to a federal jurisdiction, given the total number of plants. He said his office will review the case with the U.S. Attorney’s office to determine if the amount of marijuana involved meets the threshold for federal prosecution.

Ryder was arrested and charged in connection with the 184 plants deputies and drug agents found at his home at 64 Lisa Drive when they executed a search warrant at about 5:15 p.m. Wednesday. It was during the search of the home that authorities learned of the Waterboro warehouse. That’s where they found 800 plants growing in three rooms when they searched it at about 11 p.m.

Lisa Drive is marked as a private road off Route 202 in Lyman near the Alfred town line. The Waterboro warehouse is on San Antonio Road off May Street in Waterboro. The road is marked private property.

Ouellette said the grower used diesel generators to partially supply electricity, so as not to draw a large power supply from Central Maine Power. Indoor marijuana growing operations require light for long periods, and law enforcement authorities across the country have been tipped off to grow operations because of high energy consumption. According to an April 8, 2011 story in Green Tech Enterprise, about $5 billion in power is used each year in the U.S. to grow cannabis indoors.

Besides the marijuana, deputies and drug agents seized a number of lights, timers and growing equipment.

Ouellette said the indoor growing operation appears to have been ongoing for some time and Maj. Bill King showed a cupful of plant sticks with faded lettering, indicating the crop found Wednesday may not have been the first. The three rooms in the warehouse were numbered and authorities believe crops were planted in succession, ensuring a continuous harvest.

“It’s a large operation,” said Michael Wardrop, resident agent in charge of the USDEA.

When asked if further arrests were likely, the sheriff said the investigation continues.

According to the online website www.priceofweed.com, the average cost of marijuana per ounce in Maine varies depending on the quality. The website, which provides average prices in all 50 states and in Canada, the UK, France, Germany and Australia based, it says, on submissions from consumers, lists high quality marijuana at $355 per ounce, $248 for medium and $180 for low quality marijuana in Maine. The website reports  that an eighth of an ounce of medium quality marijuana cost $50 in Biddeford March 2, and $55 in Saco March 18, and that an ounce of high quality marijuana cost $250 in Berwick on Feb. 29.

As well as noting the hard work of deputies and drug agents, Ouellette also thanked the York County District Attorney’s Office for their work on the case.

The seizure was the second significant marijuana bust by sheriff’s deputies in the past several days after seizing $60,000  worth of marijuana from a residential growing operation in the Lake Arrowhead section of Waterboro last week. Deputies arrested John F. Pond, 27, after seizing 80 marijuana plants and two pounds of processed marijuana in that case. Ryder and Pond have no known connection and the two cases are separate, authorities said.

Ouellette pointed out that York County has been, in his words, inundated with burglaries over the past several months that he believes are fueled by a craving for illegal drugs and diverted prescription drugs.

“In this case, the cultivation of marijuana on a commercial basis certainly doesn’t help what’s going on,” said Ouellette, who called marijuana a gateway drug.

— Senior Staff Writer Tammy Wells can be contacted at 324-4444 or twells@journaltribune.com.