Illegal marijuana grows are responsible for billions in revenue, reflecting a nationwide problem.
Hundreds of illegal Chinese-owned marijuana growing operations have been popping up across Maine over the past three years.
On Tuesday, Nov. 28, local law enforcement shut down an illegal marijuana grow that was being operated in a building located behind a licensed marijuana cultivation facility in Franklin County.
Officers from the Wilton Police Department were assisting investigators from the Maine Office of Cannabis Policy (OCP) during a routine follow-up inspection of a licensed facility in Wilton when they raided the illegal operation, authorities said in a press release posted on social media.
“It’s a place that has been on the radar,” State Rep. Mike Sobeleski (R) told The Epoch Times, adding that he had visited the facility previously. The Republican lawmaker said he had learned about the raid just minutes before Tuesday’s interview with The Epoch Times to discuss the illegal marijuana operations being run by Chinese nationals throughout the state.
Earlier this month, a man identifying himself as the property manager told the Maine Wire that the building was being used to grow marijuana and that operators paid about $30,000 per month in rent.
He also reportedly told the news outlet that the facility was being run by four Asian men who claimed they were from New York, California, Washington, and Massachusetts.
The property owner “has no connection to the internal operations of either the licensed or unlicensed marijuana cultivation facility,” according to authorities. The building is the former Bass Shoe Factory and is currently on the market for $6 million.
The facility had been under investigation by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security for possible ties to Asian transnational organized crime, the Maine Wire reported.
Marijuana is legal for recreational use for adults 21 and over in Maine. State law also allows adult residents to grow up to three mature plants and 12 immature plants for personal use.
OCP is responsible for the licensing, compliance, and general oversight of legalized cannabis for medical and adult use in the state.
By Jana J. Pruet
