Waterville man jailed after significant drug bust

WATERVILLE, Maine (WABI) – Waterville Police were following up on a dog bite case Wednesday afternoon when, they say, they found a lot of drugs in the dog owner’s apartment.

An officer says when he stopped by to speak to 27-year-old Ryan Schall he saw a powdered substance on a countertop.

Police say Schall tried to conceal it when asked about it.

Police searched the apartment and found a large safe hidden away.

Police say inside it they found 3-and-a-half pounds of fentanyl, some pills and more than $15,000 in cash.

Waterville Police Chief Joe Massey says that much fentanyl could cause hundreds, perhaps thousands, of overdose deaths.

“That’s a large seizure of fentanyl, certainly the largest I’ve seen in the recent past since I’ve been here. We know that fentanyl is one of the major causes of overdose deaths for us and I mean, this guy was certainly a source level dealer. That’s the people that we really want to target,” said Massey

Police also seized jewelry and power tools and are working to find out who those items belong to.

Schall is charged with having and dealing drugs.

He’s being held on $320,000 bail and is scheduled to be in court in August.