Two men have been charged in connection with Thursday’s discovery of methamphetamine materials inside a car on Somerset Street.

Shane Maloney Photo courtesy of the Cumberland County Jail

Shane Maloney, 28, of Portland, and Jeffrey Makela, 33, of Standish, were each charged with operating a methamphetamine laboratory using a motor vehicle, a Class B felony punishable by up to 10 years in prison. Maloney also was charged with possession of scheduled drugs and refusing to submit to arrest.

The discovery was made during a traffic stop at about 5:30 p.m. on Thursday. Police closed a section of Somerset Street, between Elm and Chestnut streets, in order to secure some of the chemicals that were found. Agents from the Maine Drug Enforcement Agency were called to assist.

Jeffrey Makela Photo courtesy of the Cumberland County Jail

Methamphetamine is a powerful, addictive stimulant that can be manufactured illegally in clandestine labs, sometimes even in vehicles, using over-the-counter ingredients.

Maloney was arrested in 2017 in Yarmouth on a charge of domestic violence terrorizing. Makela was involved in a vehicle accident in 2010 that killed a 43-year-old woman from Limerick. According to police, he was driving north on Route 35 in Dayton and failed to stop at a stop sign. His truck collided with a car driven by Sandra Lambert. The collision pushed Lambert’s car into a dump truck that was stopped in traffic.