Kennebunk, Maine Man Arrested for Manufacturing Methamphetamine
Maine Drug Enforcement Agency agents, along with the Kennebunk Police Department, have been investigating the manufacture of methamphetamine in the Kennebunk region.
During the past six months, the Maine Drug Enforcement Agency responded to multiple dump sites in Kennebunk and Wells where plastic bottles used in the manufacturing of “one pot” methamphetamine labs had been found. Local citizens walking or biking along the road found the plastic bottles.
A suspect was identified, and on Monday, June 16, 2025, at about 1:20 pm, a uniformed Kennebunk police officer conducted a traffic stop of a vehicle on Maguire Road.
Officers located Chadd Roper, 46, of Kennebunk, operating the car. There was also a dog inside the vehicle. A search of the vehicle located numerous backpacks, bags, and other items to a one-pot methamphetamine laboratory. The laboratory was in the active stages of the process of producing methamphetamine. Due to the extreme chance of explosion and fire, the road was shut down, and the immediate area was evacuated for safety.
The Kennebunk Fire Department was notified and responded to monitor the scene for safety pending the arrival of a specially trained agent from the DEA, who is trained to mitigate the danger of the lab, render it safe, and collect samples for evidence.
Once the laboratory was rendered safe and all evidence had been gathered, the remaining toxic byproducts of the lab were turned over for destruction to the State’s Department of Environmental Protection, which responded to the scene as well.
Roper was arrested and charged with unlawful operation of a methamphetamine laboratory and was transported to the York County Jail. His bail was set at $25,000.00 cash.
This investigation will continue, and additional charges are expected.
All suspects are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
The Maine Drug Enforcement Agency stands committed to working with all federal, state, county, and local law enforcement partners to continue to identify and disrupt drug trafficking organizations that are attempting to distribute illicit drugs like fentanyl, cocaine, and methamphetamine in the State of Maine.
If you or someone you know suffers from substance use disorder, please call 211 or text your zip code to 898-211 for a list of resources available in your area.
If you have information about this investigation or the illegal sale of drugs in your community, you are urged to contact the Maine Drug Enforcement office closest to you or by texting MDEA to TIP411 (847411) or by calling the MDEA tip-line at 1-800-452-6457.