NEW VINEYARD -- A small meth lab on Fenwick Road that was raided by drug agents was found to be manufacturing the illegal stimulant in two-liter soda bottles, one of the investigators said on Wednesday.

This lab is the first confirmed lab seized in Maine this year.

The raid resulted in the arrest of William B. Christopher, 39, of both Farmington and Missouri, on a charge of trafficking in drugs. He was also charged with violation of conditions of release because he was out on bail for an unrelated charge of unlawful drug furnishing, according to the Maine Drug Enforcement Agency.

Nancy Barden, 57, and Charity Haines, 29, of the Farmington area, both were summonsed for drug trafficking.

On Wednesday, MDEA Commander Darrell Crandall said his office had received information that led to the execution of a search warrant on Nov. 20 at the Fenwick Road property. Crandall heads the agency's Clandestine Drug Laboratory Enforcement Team.

The agents and chemists assigned to the team seized chemicals and equipment alleged to have been recently used to make methamphetamine, Crandall said. They remained at the scene most of the day collecting evidence.

"These materials can be particularly dangerous and when they are combined, can cause a reactive explosion," Crandall said.

Given the hazards involved, team members are required to don chemical suits and carry air monitoring equipment while processing these crime scenes, he said.

There are several ways to manufacture meth and the one being used in New Vineyard did not produce a high yield, he said.

"It was being made in two-liter soda bottles," he said.

The drug agents were assisted at the scene by Farmington Police Department, Franklin County Sheriff's Department, Maine State Police, Farmington Fire Department and the Maine Department of Environmental Protection.

If convicted, the suspects face up to 10 years in prison.

Maine's meth lab activity has been on the decline following state and federal legislation that restricted the sale of the methamphetamine precursors ephedrine and pseudoephedrine, according to the agency.

Since April of 2005, the department's team has investigated 64 reports of lab activity, seizing 15 labs or laboratory dump sites -- places where the toxic ingredients were disposed of, Crandall said.

If anyone has information on drug labs or any other drug-related crime, they are asked to call MDEA toll-free at (800) 452-6457 or leave a tip on the MDEA Web site: www.maine.gov/dps/mdea/drugtip.html.

According to the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, methamphetamine is second only to alcohol and marijuana as the drug used most frequently in many states, and seizures of dangerous laboratory materials have increased dramatically.

Methamphetamine is a highly addictive drug with potent, central nervous system stimulant properties.

The availability of methamphetamine today is largely fueled by illicit production in large and small clandestine laboratories and in some areas of the country, methamphetamine abuse has outpaced both heroin and cocaine, according to the agency.

Betty Jespersen -- 778-6991

bjespersen@centralmaine.com