The Somerset County Sheriff’s Department led a raid on a property in Cornville on Wednesday that led to the discovery of an illegal marijuana growing facility operated two Asian males and an Asian female who spoke little or no English.
Seventy-five-year-old Huansheng Mai, 63-year-old Yuling Mei, and 68-year-old Yiming Hu were arrested and charged with drug trafficking and cultivation of marijuana, according to the Somerset County Sheriff’s Office.
The raid resulted in the seizure of 750 plants from several cultivation rooms with plants at different stages of maturity, along with more than 90 pounds of processed marijuana.
“We, on a regular basis, receive the complaints from neighbors because the smell of marijuana is distinct. And so then you have to build a case. And that’s what takes some time,” Somerset County Sheriff Dale Lancaster told the Maine Wire.
The Cornville raid, which took place on as a West Ridge home, is the eighth law enforcement action that has uncovered illicit cannabis growing operations in rural Maine.
According to the Somerset County Registry of Deeds, Yuling Mei, one of the individuals arrested Wednesday, also owns a nearby residence at 368 West Ridge Road.
When purchasing that property in 2021, Mei listed a residence in Brooklyn, N.Y.
Read more of the Maine Wire’s reporting on Triad Weed:
- How Chinese Marijuana Grows Took Over Rural Maine
- Triad Weed: One NYC Bank Financed More Than 50 Illicit Chinese Marijuana Grow Houses in Rural Maine…
- State Law Enforcement, Feds Struggle to Clamp Down on Illegal Chinese Drug Operations in Maine
- Maine Legislature Will Consider Proposal to Fight Chinese-owned Marijuana Operations
- Collins, Golden Renew Call for DOJ Action Against Illicit Chinese Marijuana Grows Following Maine Wire Report
More Triad Weed Busts:
- Maine Law Enforcement Raids Machias Marijuana Grow, Arrests Three Suspected Non-Citizens
- Illegal Marijuana Grow in China, Maine Busted, 970 Plants Seized, Three Arrested
- Raid on Illegal Chinese Marijuana Operation in Western Maine Seizes Illicit Drugs Worth $1M+
- Two Weeks After $1M Western Maine Marijuana Raid, Wilton Still Abuzz With Illicit Drug Activity
According to a memo form the Department of Homeland Security that leaked last year, there are more than 270 such sites operating in rural Maine at the behest of Asian Transnational Criminal Organizations.
Last year, a task force led by Penobscot Sheriff Troy Morton shutter a massive 3,000-plant grow in Carmel that was operating out of an old chicken barn.
That bust led to the arrest of four Asian males, one of whom later told law enforcement that “he is going to be dead soon” — a hint that the consequences that might follow from getting caught.
More recently, two Maine State Police raids in Belgrade, a local police raid in China, and a local police raid in Machias also uncovered illegal Chinese marijuana cultivation operations.
<span class="dsq-postid" data-dsqidentifier="24740 https://www.themainewire.com/?p=24740">10 Comments
It’s time to deal with the Chinese!!! The democrats will do anything for a tax base!!
It’s up to our County ELECTED Sheriffs to deal with this. Obvious to me IMHO that Maine DEA and State Police have been paid off as well as Kills.
There is a reason there is no state intervention here. They are On the take.
…LEOs are doing a fine job! Averaging 1 raid a month, we should have these Chinese illegal grows cleaned up in 22.5 years!
There are so many more in this county alone !!! I hope they don’t stop there . Why isn’t the state police involved or the DEA ?
This is a sorry state of the state, state police do nothing which leads me to believe that they have been directed to ignore or not get involved in the chinese drug trafficking by higher ups which I suspect goes all the way to governor doper and the attorney general to useless excuses for humanity. But, elections have consequences and now the state suffers under the lawless!
Ditto Holly, And we hear Nothing from our delegation. Why and Where is Angus King, Collins, Demanding DEA, FBI, ect. Maine State Police?? I think I’ll just call ’em up and ask.
The independent Angus supports Joe Bidden the China lover He could change but he has not.
I do hope the courts set a high Bail on these folks. Just like The amount Biden paid Iran, $6,000,000. , paid for Americans. $500.00 is way low for folks who are trying to evaid our laws.
Isn’t it interesting that it’s local law enforcement and not feds who are raiding these illegal farms?
China owns the nine dragons LLC pulp mill in Rumford and I think Old Town Maine also. Lot of weed grows in both towns. Lot of Asians in both towns. Maybe there is a connection between the Chinese owned pulp mills and the weed grows as far as money laundering and human/drug trafficking!? Lot of trucks go in and out of those mills everyday.
Just because I’m sexually confused does not mean that I’m 100% Chinese. I enjoy different cultures and that doesn’t make me honest. Like I said before, “If it rains in Birmingham then the sun don’t shine on the East side”. There’s many more to come so don’t feel like it’s impossible to ride the storm. My mother once told me that if you search you will find the truth. Well, the truth is out there now so stop being so offended. Sorry if this all sounds confusing but I’m tired and I’m trying to type.
Cheers,
Connor