Maine’s Committee on Criminal Justice and Public Safety (CJPS) held a public hearing on a bill intended to crackdown on what the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) calls Asian Transnational Criminal Organizations (ATCOs) operating in the state of Maine.
The topic first surfaced thanks to a leaked DHS memo, originally reported by immigration reporter Jennie Taer, that said more than 270 properties in Maine are being used to illegally grow and traffick black market cannabis at the behest of ATCOs.
Despite the grave impact of the proliferation of illegal Chinese marijuana throughout Maine, not a single member of law enforcement appeared to testify on the bill in any capacity.
“I was seriously alarmed that there was no testimony from usual committee participants. Where were the Maine Chiefs of Police, Maine Sheriff’s Association? Where was the Maine Department of Public Safety, specifically Maine Drug Enforcement? Where was the Office of Cannabis Policy? Their collective silence was deafening,” said Sen. Matt Harrington, a former police officer who sits on the CJPS Committee.
Kennebec County Sheriff Ken Mason was in attendance for the hearing, but he did not offer any testimony on the bill.
[RELATED: Maine Republican Proposes Bill to Crack Down on Blackmarket Chinese Drug Houses…]
The only government official, aside from the bill’s sponsors, who testified on the issue was the Assistant Attorney General John Risler, who opposed it.
TRIAD WEED
- At Rural Maine Marijuana Grow, Cops Find Asian Passports, Plane Tickets from China, and Stolen Electricity
- Sheriffs Raid Multiple Triad Weed Properties Throughout Central, Northern Maine – Guilford, Mercer, Corinna & Sangerville
- Illegal Marijuana Vexes Northern Maine Town Officials as Out-of-State Criminals Prosper
- Maine Sheriff Raids 8th Illegal Chinese-Owned Marijuana Grow in 8 Months
- Valentine’s Day Bust Breaks Heart of New York Man Illegally Growing 1,310 Pot Plants in Norridgewock, Maine
- Maine State Police Bust Cannabis Grow Ops in Belgrade, Seize 2,300 Plants
- Another One: Turner Firefighters Discover Suspected Illegal Chinese Marijuana Grow Near Bear Pond Variety
- No Arrests as Illicit Chinese Marijuana Grow in Norridgewock Busted
- Fifteen Raids Seize Nearly 20k Black Market Cannabis Plants from Chinese-Controlled Sites in Maine
- Maine Law Enforcement Raids Machias Marijuana Grow, Arrests Three Suspected Non-Citizens
- Maine Sheriff Arrests Two More New Yorkers Linked to Illegal Marijuana Operation in Whitefield
- Two Weeks After $1M Western Maine Marijuana Raid, Wilton Still Abuzz With Illicit Drug Activity
- Chinese Nationals Caught Illegally Entering U.S. Reached Record High in December…
- U.S. Border Agents Arrest Three Chinese “Asylum Seekers” with 23 Fake IDs…
The hearing began with an explanation of the bill by its sponsor, Rep. John Andrews (R-Paris)
“This is a vast criminal conspiracy that must be addressed. The only problem is that our prosecutors do not have the tool to charge for conspiracy,”said Rep. Andrews.
“The main and most important feature of LD 2204 is the aspect that puts Little RICO laws on the books,” Andrews said.
LD 2204, proposed by Andrews, is the only bill being considered in the current legislative session intended to address the hundreds of illegal marijuana grow sites throughout the state.
Other legislators, including House Republican Leader Billy Bob Faulkingham (R-Winter Harbor) and Rep. Katrina Smith (R-Palermo), proposed bills to address the issue, but they were shot down by Democrats in Maine’s Legislative Council before they could be considered in the session.
Andrews’ bill would establish a new state-level crime, racketeering, which would allow prosecutors to charge anyone involved in a criminal enterprise with the newly established class A felony.
Racketeering will carry with it a penalty of up to 30 years in prison, and fines of up to $1,000,000.
Andrews’ bill also proposes new regulations intended to discover criminals already operating in the state, and discourage others from beginning operations in Maine.
It requires that electric companies compile a list of homes which have seen drastic increases in electricity use, which is often a sign of illegal marijuana cultivation.
Rep. Soboleski, one of the bill’s co-sponsor, joined the hearing to speak in favor.
“[Prosecutors] can send a message that this will no longer be tolerated in our state. We cannot rely on politicians in D.C. to fix this problem tomorrow, when it is plaguing our local communities today,” said Soboleski.
Peter Lehman, a sex offender who was convicted after making child pornography in his backyard, spoke against the bill on behalf of off the Maine Prisoner Advocacy Coalitions.
Lehman called the bill a “solution in search of a problem”, and said that the problem with Chinese organized crime is fabricated.
“Although the solution may be presented with the best of intentions, we do not believe there is an actual problem to be addressed,” said Lehman.
He also opposed the bill’s provision that requires electric companies to provide the state with a list of residences with high amperage, arguing that the provision is a violation of constitutional rights.
Under current law, the state already maintains a list of all properties that have electrical services of 400-amps or greater.
Others opposed the bill on the grounds that it bars citizens of hostile nations from purchasing real-estate in Maine.
Risler, from the Attorney General’s office, testified against the bill because he believes that no further tools are required for police to deal with the issue, although, unlike Lehman, he acknowledges the severity of the issue.
“It’s a crime, and we can investigate it with our traditional tools,” said Risler.
To date, the Maine AG has not successfully prosecuted or obtained a conviction for a single individual in relation to the Chinese organized crime networks that have proliferated throughout rural Maine over the past four years.
Maine Wire Editor-in-Chief Steve Robinson was the last member of the public to speak at the hearing, testifying neither for nor against the bill.
The hearing concluded with a contentious debate between Rep. Donald Ardell (R-Monticello) and Rep. Suzanne Salisbury (D-Westbrook) about the relevance of the immigration status of people arrested at illegal marijuana grow-facilities.
Rep. Ardell asked Robinson what the immigration status of three foreign nationals arrested at a grow site was, but was shut down before the question could be answered.
Ardell was outraged, and argued that, given that the bill relates to foreign criminal organizations, the question was certainly relevant.
Rep. Salisbury, who had initially said that the question was not germane to the bill, conceded that the immigration status was relevant, but that she refused to hear the information from Robinson, because of his work with the Maine Wire.
“I am not gonna get that information from a reporter with The Maine Wire” said Rep. Salisbury.
Salisbury agreed to hear the information from law enforcement when the bill is discussed in a work session.
The question could not be answered to Salisbury’s satisfaction during the hearing, because of the notable lack of law-enforcement testifying on the bill in any capacity.
For the record, the DHS memo indicated that many of the individuals who are part of the criminal conspiracy in question are present in the U.S. illegally or have pending asylum claims.
Asylum claims are frequently used by illegal aliens in order to exploit weaknesses in American immigration enforcement.
[RELATED: Chinese Nationals Caught Illegally Entering U.S. Reached Record High in December…]
Beginning in 2020, the number of Chinese foreign nationals encountered at the U.S.-Mexico border began to increase significantly.
In 2023, nearly 40,000 Chinese foreign nationals were encountered at the southern border by federal law enforcement.
<span class="dsq-postid" data-dsqidentifier="25804 https://www.themainewire.com/?p=25804">5 Comments
They were out getting their taste envelopes from the CCP
What is it with these (excuse my language) homely fat women who get into politics in Maine and say and do such stupid things?
By the way, I am and have been all my life a woman.
This is almost unbelievable, but seeing that it is happening in rural Maine it is clear. Why would or how can anyone defend these guys? They come here and blatantly break our laws are possibly funding our enemy’s and the good law abiding Democrats defending their actions? This is outrageous !!!!
Corruption abounds at all levels of government
Who says these democrats are law abiding? Democrat Rep Suzanne Salisbury is a disgrace to humanity, her blatant action toward Robinson is embarrassing! And the indifference by a supposed assistant attorney general against the law shows just how corrupt the AG office is. Is the AG’s office another bought and paid for by Soros ? It seems the only people that get a fair shake are the criminals and the law abiding taxpayers of the state, while the thugs go free!!!!