Three more New Yorkers have been arrested in Somerset County for illegally growing and trafficking vast amounts of marijuana at a Skowhegan property connected to Asian Transnational Criminal Organizations.
The Somerset County Sheriff’s Department said in a press release Friday that it executed a search warrant on a Waterville Road property in Skowhegan that resulted in the arrests of three individuals from Brooklyn, New York.
- Yao Bin Cheng, age 61, of Brooklyn, New York was arrested and charged with Trafficking in Scheduled Drugs (Class B) and Cultivation of Marijuana (Class B).
- Ying Xia Liao, age 59, of Brooklyn, New York was arrested and charged with Trafficking in Scheduled Drugs (Class B) and Cultivation of Marijuana (Class B).
- Xi Qiang Zhao, age 56, of Brooklyn, New York was arrested and charged with Trafficking in Scheduled Drugs (Class B) and Cultivation of Marijuana (Class B).
As a result of the search of the residence, 4760 marijuana plants in various stages of growth, over $7,000.00 in suspected illicit drug proceeds, a 2022 Toyota Tacoma truck and illicit drug related articles were seized.
[RELATED: Triad Weed: How Chinese Marijuana Grows Took Over Rural Maine…]
Last year, a leaked Department of Homeland Security memo, first published by reporter Jennie Taer, revealed that Asian Transnational Criminal Organizations (a.k.a. the Chinese mafia or Triads) control more than 270 facilities throughout Maine, properties the criminal organizations are using to illegally grow and traffick marijuana.
The proceeds of those marijuana sales, which occur in Maine but mostly in Massachusetts and New York, are then used to further finance other illegal activities, including narcotics trafficking, human trafficking, and other criminal schemes.
According to the Maine Wire’s Triad Weed investigative series, the scheme began in late 2019, when Chinese men and women began purchasing properties throughout rural Maine and later converting them into sophisticated marijuana growing operations.
The operation proliferated through rural Maine as the number of Chinese foreign nationals encountered attempting to illegally enter the U.S. increased to record levels, per DHS data.
Last week, three Chinese foreign nationals were arrested by U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents attempting to illegal enter the U.S. from Canada, while a fourth Chinese illegal alien — the getaway driver — was also arrested.
As with several recent enforcement actions taken against illegal Chinese-run marijuana trafficking operations in Somerset County, the Maine State Police and the Maine Drug Enforcement Agency were conspicuously absent from the list of law enforcement offices that assisted in the raid.
According to a press release from Somerset County Sheriff Dale Lancaster, the warrant was executed by Sheriff’s Office Detectives and Sheriff’s Office Patrol Deputies. In addition, Detectives from the Waterville Police Department and Agents from Homeland Security Investigations and the Federal Drug Enforcement Administration.
According to the press release, the Somerset/Kennebec County District Attorney’s Office, the United States Attorney’s Office and Investigators from the Office of Cannabis Policy assisted with the investigation.
The Skowhegan Code Enforcement Officer and the Skowhegan Fire Department were notified for potential building code violations, according to the release.
Presently the three New Yorkers are incarcerated in the Somerset County Jail on $10,000.00 cash bail each — ten times the amount set for previous suspects arrested at Chinese-run drug hubs in the county.
Their initial appearance is scheduled, in the Somerset County Unified Court, on June 5, 2024.
READ MORE TRIAD WEED REPORTING
- 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…
No state police or Maine DEA involvement?? Hhhhmmmmm! And nothing from Kills. I believe they protest too much! Their silence is defining.As well as the answer.
Brooklynites — is that what we’re calling CCP agents now?
Seems like whatever trouble a US citizen gets into they should just not carry any ID etc and just say they speak no english and they are seeking asylum. Its really the Grover Norquist toadies that have caused this situation. Look at what that guy is preaching.
Two Brookland Men and a Brooklyn Woman”… Ha… three Chicom illegal aliens.. Pleas, use the correct terminology!
Marijuana was legalized at the State level so my question would be what is the STATE OF MAINE doing since they were the ones who legalized it. It is commonsense that nefarious organizations would gladly jump aboard. I propose a chart by County on which counties are doing something to chase out the bad apples. Sherriffs are coming up for election so be sure to check the chart! This is a Maine made mess not Federal.
We got an army of drug dealing shit-mainers on chemo pond rd and Rocky ledge rd in eddington. Almost every fat white man in a pickup truck that is hauling nothing is a fentanyl and oxy seller. Many of them are also tax evaders and are involved in real estate fraud via supplying drugs to real estate agents and brokers.
You’re not watching the damn chinese restaurants – most get independent food deliveries from New york!! Full of narcotics!!!
Marriwana make me wanna marry yo mama
I GROW MY MARY FLOWERS YOU TRY AN STOP ME AN I’LL POOP OUT A SHIT AND THRKW IN DOWN YO THROAT BEEYATCH
I toll you muchhead chumpy mainas I grow my marijuana farm mind my own business you all eat eat eat eat – oil & grease everyday you all haff yellow streaks up your backs you fat bumpy chumbos i see grave buggs going in an out all your ears an all you are ass holes chummy gummy oil and greas an all you daugers haff sloppy smelley varginers grease and oil and buggs and the shits of the buggs chunky chumbo you stay away my farm you stay away my farm or else CRACK! CRACK! CRACK!
SHIFFA BRAINS MAHFAHS!!!!I
FUCK ALL YOU SHIFFA BRAINS I GOT TEN CASES O MILITARY GRENAIDS AND FOTEEN CASES OF UZIS JUSS YOU TRY SNEE UP ON MY WEE FEELS I KNOCK BACK THAT SAFFY AND BAMABAMABAMWBAMABWMABAMABAMWBAMABAMABAMABAMAB!!!!!!
YOU GOT THAT MAHFAH CRACKA ASSBOW CATTLE STOMMAK YOU EVEN LOOK AT MY WEE FEELS THE WRAWN WAY AND IT’S BAMABAMABAMABAMABAMABAMABAMABAMABAM!!!!
FUK YOU ALL BEEYATCHEEZ I WARN YOU BAMABAMABAMABAMABAMABAMWBQMWBAMWBAMABAMABAM!!!!!!
JUSS LIK DAY BEE YATCH
BAMABAMABAMABAMABAMABAMABAMA!!!!!!
A Hallett a fake, too BEE YATCH
I sell bingbings num-nums an wham-whams
I ship the shit in postal vehicles, Beeeyatch
every fourth week on rocky ledge rd in eddy, Beeyatch
try do something about it, Beeeyatch
I run you ova with hammond lumbatruck, Beeeyatch
I move dirt, Beeyatch
I have backhoes, Beeyatch
I am the Cartel of Maine, Beeyatch
all ya all worship me like a beeyatch, Beeyatch
all you b e e – yatch at my bee yatch, Beeyatch
Na Lid Ozone
Na Lid Ozone
Na Lid Ozone
Climate change no more weakass pooty fenty
Rocky ledge and Stony ridge in eddy we got the
Na Lid Ozone
Davis road only meth oxy fenty
Na Lid Ozone
Na Lid Ozone
You feel me?
Veal gas is not the brew entity we know the heepos an there swampy foogies an we out ridin lookin for those swampies allyall bedda shut down we NOT givin away free bedda go seeya Ant Pledge becaus we DON’T CARE about shower pics no more timeantimegain ON MY BANK WOULDN’T GIVE ME sure then you go showup with all copper wires and silver bus bars talkin about pressus medal exchange man WHO DON’T EVEN FUGGIN ESIST you can just go get elvers an sell to the reefer growas from china all you lyin about beckett motors and those sola panels NOT ONE OF YOU axtully has any o that imagine! wantin to trade FUGGIN DEER ANTLAS for 80’s you all make me sick
Hey all you want touch my ass farts bcuz y’all know I’m the real puke. I raze my handulls bcuz baby jesus be tellin me to sell crack and fenty to everyone. Got my sonic gun it’s a Israeli one, just point it on you it make you have a shitgasm, Beeyatch.I
By the way, i have vapor nobody understands – I am.everywhere and no where. Glimpse me you won’t a second time but you’ll remember. Smart dust got my back Beeeyatches alla you
It time for da ping an da pong!!! I cause rice paddies to flourish. I never sell it until you wipe your nose. Bangor maine is Zombie Town. Get me those fifties at your ATM. Burger heads and granny panties are the game. Often a stomach with fat legs has stolen jewelry and lingerie. Demon fuzz and cell phone parking everywhere you look. Old finance sends you to lowell. Feeds his dog Oscar meyer right from the package. The freeway is a graveyard holding still. A laughing chipmunk at every rest area sign. China rises like a red Sun. Soon it will be too late to resist.
Chemo pond rd got the stuff all this month. Gonna put lil’ fatty out of business. He so stupid he thinks the carpet powder turns him invisible.
Chemo rd connect to rocky ledge beeee yatch. They drive their sand sleds right over here cause they know i got the pooty fenty beeee yatch you juss keep thinkin an dreamin why don’t you stay in massachusitts beeeeee yatch
Wonk! Look wassat i see, Boyyyyyeeeeeee those two that new machetied-up paulie be talkin’ abou onna otha artiklez commenz Boyyyyyeeeeeeee that drkblue unmaintained sport piggup an ovapolished cheapo black seddan widda winda peels Boyyyyeeeeee hahahaha watchinem take their stash outta the town office Boyyyyyeeeeee an hidin an sellin all carefulcareful aroun barker stony rocky n eddy Boyyyyyeeeeeee. Lil’ Fatty wud nevva be that stoopit an obvious. Lil’ fatty be ballin outta a schoobah Boyyyyyeeeee, you crupted town fishals frigga ater monitas givvit up an go get a real job at getchels makin ice or whateva, lil’ fatty a genius. Ima havta watch where he gettin that schoobah an swipe me one for my own self that a good idea Boyyyyeeeee
Heh heh heh no wonda mista sulu ran off to join star fleet. He couldn’t take watchin his family go wrong and becomin sneak growwas hazhazhazhazhaz ‘member that time he was flyin in the nebula an kirk be like, best guess mista sulu, an he hit khan’s ship like every time? Dale Lancaster was in the movie, too – he be like, we can’t go in that nebula the shields will be useless, but Khan wouldn’t have it, threw dale out the way, and dry-humped the ship into full power like he was like benedict? Yeah this school bus kicks ass. I catch every methhead by the foot before they can get out an they always be like, c’mon man, quit playin, stop it, aggghhhh yeah we all ridin aroun eddy singing, dontcha wanna pooty pooty dontcha wanna pooty fenty dontcha wanna pooty pooty dontcha wanna pooty fenty dontcha wanna pooty pooty dontcha wanna pooy fenty
Recaptcha virus huh
You bow to China fat american
You fat american make it look like chinese make grow house when it all a trick so meth labs and fentanyl pill maker places to unnoticed what idiot believe all that mariiuana important? Nobody. You make grow house and blame us and use all it to hide you all on narcotics police town official almost everyone who drive empty pickup. truck hoaxes are invented by drug addict who not want you to know they drug addict
No shortage of chuckleheads on this one too
I send Chinese cyborg up there soon
stoner rige and rocky lege on report now
and barker rige why tunnel taking so long? haff ass many mexicanos have it done three month ago!
Light grey crossover leaving stony towing trailer with dune buggy on it – this person isn’t even capable.of cleaning a curvert, how is believable he goes bumping around in a drivable toy like a youngling?
Those pictures aren’t even from Maine, they were taken about five years ago in RI.
You’re making a mess of my State.
Take yourself back home and learn Spanish.
Don’t confuse yourself into thinking Maine is somehow part of Massachusetts. Maine is allied with New York. The capitol of the country used to be in New York. Maine wasn’t a state then, it was known as The Upland, the route Benedict Arnold took to British Canada. East of that region was contested among colonists, british, and the french. It was sometimes called The Maine. After British defeat, it was run by colonists, Natives, and French trappers. All of them considered Maine being a district of Massachusetts to be a form of enslavement.
Servicos secretos sera destruido y reemplazado con una neuva organization de honor
Whomever it is that is interfering with recaptcha on this site we will find out who you are.
A abnormal amont a dem be rollin out this AM bout 5 a clock
lil’ won ton tell me same thing on chemo rd
The posta on here name ‘Prevention’ is tellin it zactly backwards delibritly
Lotta good lil’ mainas be leavin fo work evry mornin on stoney ridge road now all of a sudden huh