AUGUSTA — The Maine Drug Enforcement Agency says three people have been arrested in connection with two separate methamphetamine operations dismantled Tuesday in Monticello and East Millinocket. The two new labs brings to 22 the number of meth labs MDEA has responded to this year — an all-time record.

The Maine Drug Enforcement Agency's Aroostook County Task Force and the Clandestine Drug Laboratory Enforcement Team (CDLET) served a search warrant Tuesday at a residence located on the Lake Road in Monticello and located evidence of a methamphetamine manufacturing operation.

On October 20, 2014 Aroostook County Deputy Erica Pelletier went to the residence of Mathew Thibodeau, located on the Lake Road in Monticello. Because Thibodeau was currently out on bail, he was subject to a bail search.

During this bail search, Deputy Pelletier, who is also a member of MDEA's clandestine lab team, noticed several items in and around the evidence which were consistent with the production of methamphetamine. Upon this discovery, all occupants were evacuated from the residence and the house was secured by law enforcement pending the application for a search warrant.

Tuesday morning, MDEA's lab team, along with Aroostook County Deputies served the search warrant on Thibodeau's home and seized a significant amount of evidence which is consistent with meth manufacturing.

Thibodeau, who is 27, was arrested and charged with Class B trafficking in Schedule W Drugs (Methamphetamine) and taken to the Aroostook County Jail.

Beau Pelletier, 31, and Cynthia Burley, 33, both of East Millinocket, were charged with Class B Trafficking in Schedule W Drugs (methamphetamine).

These arrests were the results of an investigation conducted by the East Millinocket Police Department, with assistance of the Maine Drug Enforcement Agency. For the past several weeks, East Millinocket Police have been conducting an investigation into the suspected manufacturing of methamphetamine by residents of a Main Street apartment in East Millinocket.

On Tuesday, East Millinocket officers located a significant amount of evidence consistent with the manufacturing of methamphetamine which had been discarded in trash destined for the town's landfill.

With the assistance of investigators from MDEA's laboratory response team, East Millinocket officers conducted a search of the Main Street apartment occupied by Pelletier and Burley, in which additional evidence of meth manufacturing was seized along with several grams of suspected methamphetamine which is believed to have been recently manufactured.

Both Pelletier and Burley were transported to the Penobscot County jail. This investigation is continuing and more arrests could take place.