Major Pot Bust In Maine

(Lewiston, Maine) - The Maine Drug Enforcement Agency and Lewiston Police arrested a Lewiston man Tuesday after 450 marijuana plants were found in the building he lives in . John Katula, 39, is charged with Aggravated Cultivating of Marijuana, a class B felony.

Tuesday afternoon, Lewiston Police responded to a disturbance at 16/18 Park Street, in Lewiston the former Club Rendezvous. Officers found several men engaged in a physical altercation. While mediating the incident, officers suspected the presence of a large marijuana cultivation operation inside the four story building.

When officers inquired about the marijuana, Katula said he was a licensed Medical Marijuana Caregiver under the Maine Medical Use of Marijuana Program. However Katula’s Medical Marijuana Caregiver registration card had expired in June of 2013. MDEA Agents from the Western District Task Force responded to assist Lewiston officers. A search of the building found 450 mature, flowering marijuana plants, along with an extensive lighting and ventilation system. The growing operation was on three of the building’s floors and there were serious electrical issues involving the wiring of the growing equipment. Lewiston’s Code Enforcement Officer also responded and has been in contact with the building’s owner.

Katula, who was the only person living in the building, was taken to the Androscoggin County Jail where bail was set at $5000. The estimated street value of the marijuana is in excess of $100,000.

MDEA Commander Scott Pelletier said agents are seeing an increase in people taking advantage of the demand for marijuana; who are registered Medical Marijuana Caregivers. In many cases these growers are growing and selling much larger amounts of marijuana than they are authorized.  A caregiver is limited to growing for five patients and each patient  can have only six marijuana plants.