Maine State Police officers load marijuana plants Tuesday afternoon into a shipping container on a truck behind the Narrow Gauge Distributors building at 374 High St. in Farmington. Daryn Slover/Sun Journal
FARMINGTON — Marijuana plants were being tossed Tuesday morning from the back of the Narrow Gauge Distributors building at 374 High St., after many law enforcement officers converged on the cannabis distribution business.
Officers from the FBI, U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, Maine State Police and Franklin County Sheriff’s Office also focused on other businesses in the area, including The Homegrown Connection on Wilton Road.
The FBI, DEA and local law enforcement agencies were conducting an ongoing federal investigation at multiple locations in Maine, including Farmington, FBI spokeswoman Kristen Setera said Tuesday.
The police activities were authorized by a federal court in connection with the investigation, according to Setera, who did not offer more information on the searches or whether anyone had been arrested.
At about 9 a.m. Tuesday, authorities gathered at Narrow Gauge, a former shoe shop on the corner of High Street and Cascade Leisure Park Road, and could be seen going into and out of the building.
At least 14 State Police cruisers were at the location, as were unmarked vehicles from other New England states.
At noon, authorities were piling what appeared to be marijuana plants behind the building. Prior to that, law enforcement agents were at a building on Front Street and another on Farmington Falls Road.
In the early afternoon, agents were carrying armfuls of large marijuana plants to a truck behind the building. Other items were loaded into a U-Haul trailer.
Narrow Gauge Distributors identifies itself as the largest cannabis distribution company in Maine, and a pioneer in cannabis and cannabidiol (CBD) cultivation and research and development.
U.S. Assistant Attorney Craig Wolff said Tuesday he could not comment on the matter because it is an ongoing investigation.
Law enforcement officers load items into the back of a truck Tuesday afternoon at the Narrow Gauge Distributors building at 374 High St. in Farmington. Daryn Slover/Sun Journal
Maine State Police officers block access Tuesday afternoon to the area behind the Narrow Gauge Distributors building at 374 High St. in Farmington, while marijuana plants are loaded into a shipping container. Daryn Slover/Sun Journal
A police officer adjusts his face mask Tuesday afternoon at the Narrow Gauge Distributors building at 374 High St. in Farmington. Daryn Slover/Sun Journal
Law enforcement officers gather Tuesday afternoon near trucks that were used to store items removed from the Narrow Gauge Distributors building at 374 High St. in Farmington. Daryn Slover/Sun Journal
A sign at Narrow Gauge Distributors on Cascade Leisure Park Road in Farmington, where police gathered Tuesday.
Maine State Police cruisers and unmarked cars Tuesday afternoon at the parking lot of the former shoe factory on Cascade Leisure Park Road in Farmington. Donna Perry/Sun Journal
State Police vehicles and unmarked cars are seen in the parking lot of the former shoe factory on Cascade Leisure Park Road in Farmington. Donna Perry/Sun Journal
Law enforcement officers at The Homegrown Connection on Wilton Road in Farmington on Tuesday. Donna Perry/Sun Journal
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