Pot-growing operation lands Waterville man in court

An apparently successful indoor pot-growing operation has put a Waterville man in jeopardy of going to federal prison.

David Marchand, 40, pleaded guilty last week in U.S. District Court in Bangor to a charge of “manufacturing marijuana.”

In a court document, the prosecutor, Assistant U.S. Attorney Joel B. Casey, described the extent of the grow that law enforcement officers found when they executed a search warrant at Marchand’s home on Aug. 30, 2011.

“Agents seized 49 marijuana plants with fully formed root ball systems, approximately 10,000 marijuana seeds, 632 grams of processed marijuana and other items of physical evidence,” Casey wrote.

Casey also said Marchand said he used marijuana daily and sold some.

The lead investigator in the case was David Fife, special agent with the federal Homeland Security Investigations, a unit of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

The charge carries a maximum prison term of five years.

After pleading guilty at his first court appearance on April 11, Marchand was freed on personal recognizance bail. A sentencing hearing has yet to be set.

On Thursday, Marchand’s defense attorney, James Nixon, said he had no comment.

Betty Adams — 621-5631 [email protected] Twitter: @betadams

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