A couple from the Aroostook County town of Woodland has been charged with trafficking in so-called bath salts after agents with the Maine Drug Enforcement Agency seized more than 3 pounds of the synthetic hallucinogen worth $308,000.

Agents from the Aroostook County Task Force, along with Aroostook County Sheriff’s deputies, on Thursday searched the home of Lance and Kathryn Ellison following several months of investigation, Maine State Police spokesman Stephen McCausland said.

Police also seized suboxone and fentanyl, both of which are opioids.

In addition to the drugs, agents seized a shotgun, a loaded 9 mm handgun and $6,760 in cash, McCausland said.

Lance Ellison, 44, has a lengthy criminal history, including an armed robbery in 1990, heroin trafficking in 2003 and possession of a firearm by a felon in 2013.

The couple was to be arraigned later Friday in Houlton. Lance Ellison is being held without bail because he also is accused of violating probation. Kathryn Ellison, 41, is being held on $100,000 bail, McCausland said.

MDEA Director Roy McKinney said in a statement that the seizure shows that bulk quantities of the synthetic hallucinogens called bath salts continue to dominate the illicit drug market in all areas of Maine.

David Hench can be contacted at 791-6327 or at:

dhench@pressherald.com


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