The 87-year-old self-described “frontman” for an elaborate Chinese-run drug trafficking organization active in rural Maine told the Maine Wire that he’s been living with a family of black market marijuana growers for nearly three years and helping them with electrical upgrades at facilities throughout the state.
In exchange for his services, the immigrant family feeds him, provides some level of medical care, and takes him almost everywhere they go.
That was just one of the stunning details revealed by J. Martin Vachon, a master electrician from Ellsworth, over the course of an hour-long phone interview — details that are confirmed by extensive research into public records maintained by the state of Maine.
Vachon revealed never-before-reported details of Chinese-owned marijuana growing operations in Maine and the electrical work he’s performed at the facilities for more than three years, as well as the network’s ties to at least one seemingly-legitimate Penobscot County business.
“They hurt no one,” said Vachon.
“These Chinese people are hardworking people, they saw an opportunity to make a buck and they’re trying to, okay, but they’re not hurting anybody,” Vachon said.
Asian Transnational Organized Crime in Maine
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) believes there are more than 270 facilities throughout Maine that are operating as unlicensed marijuana production sites, according to an internal memo that leaked last year.
Last year, immigration reporter Jennie Taer obtained and published a memo from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security that stated the following:
“The attached spreadsheet identifies 270 properties within the state that are actively used by the Chinese in relation to their operations… There are an estimated 270 suspected properties located in Maine… We have been able to identify many previously unidentified links and can see that most of the properties in the state of Maine are related to the illegal MJ grows and all share a strong connection to [unintelligible] like the apartment buildings in and around Bangor. This information was derived from multiple federal databases and open source products.”
Based on location of the properties, it is assessed that I-95 is the main transport route for bulk cash, illegal narcotics, illegal aliens as this is the most desirable route throughout the state of Maine. I-95 begins in Miami, Florida, and ends near New Brunswick. This route enables smugglers through the many connecting routes which may allow access to many adjoining states,” the memo stated
Source: Illegal Chinese Marijuana Grow Operations Are Taking Over Maine, Leaked Memo Says: DCNF EXCLUSIVE
In our follow-up reporting on the leaked memo, the Maine Wire obtained and published an additional memo that had been sent by a U.S. Department of Homeland Security official to various law enforcement officials in Maine. That memo stated the following:
“We are requesting a response by state, county, and/or local law enforcement officials with any information regarding illegal marijuana grows being operated in their areas by suspected Asian Transnational Criminal Organizations (TCO). This collection effort is supporting a national intelligence gathering initiative to identify a comprehensive picture of the threat posed to national security by Asian TCOs operating illegally in the United States.“
Source: How Chinese Marijuana Grows Took Over Rural Maine
According to the Taer’s sources in federal law enforcement, some of the financial proceeds of the criminal enterprises are transferred back to the People’s Republic of China (PRC).
[Triad Weed: How Chinese Marijuana Grows Took Over Rural Maine]
Since the leak of the original memo last year, the Maine Wire has identified and visited hundreds of suspected illegal marijuana grows throughout rural Maine, and dozens have been raided by law enforcement.
One electrician, Marty Vachon, has used his electrical expertise — and his Master Electrician’s license — to facilitate the installation of sophisticated commercial-grade electrical systems to several of the marijuana grows targeted by law enforcement, and many more they have yet to target.
Over the course of the Jan. 9 interview, Vachon spoke at length about his role in setting up the illegal operations and how he’s coached an apprentice on advanced electrical work, including the 400-amp entrances that are a standard feature of illegal marijuana grows observed by the Maine Wire.
In so doing, Vachon revealed — perhaps inadvertently — the very real organizational and personnel connections not only between dozens of illegal marijuana production sites in rural Maine, but also some legitimate-seeming businesses operating in the state.
Mainers have complained to town, county, state, and federal officials for years about the illegal grows. Legal marijuana entrepreneurs in both the adult-use recreational and medicinal programs have also complained about the unlicensed, unregulated, untaxed cannabis growing operations, which many believe have caused prices to plummet in Maine’s legal marijuana markets.
According to state of Maine electrical permitting records, Vachon has worked as the master electrician on at least 34 properties throughout Maine. All of those locations appear to be active or recently active marijuana growing operations with ties to Chinese men and women from outside of Maine.
“This is all, you know, related to the Chinese,” he said. “It’s certainly keeping me busy. I’ve never done so much in my life.”
“This is marijuana, and the marijuana is necessary to maintain a civilization’s balance,” Vachon said.
For an illegal marijuana grower, the skill of a master electrician – and, perhaps more importantly, the ability to use his license to sign off on commercial-grade electrical installations – are immensely valuable. Without a licensed master, utility companies like Central Maine Power (CMP) and Versant Power won’t connect to commercial-grade entrances.
If you’re looking to grow massive amounts of cannabis, a master electrician with a healthy disregarded for Maine’s marijuana growing rules is a pretty good friend to have. That’s because large-scale marijuana growing consumes vast amounts of electricity to power lights, air conditioners, water pumps, and more.
In Machias, for example, the local police found that an illegal cannabis site run by Asian foreign nationals was regularly consuming 10,000 kWhs per month — in addition to an unknown amount of power that was being stolen because the operators “jumped” their meter.
To give some perspective on how much electricity that is, 10,000 kWh is enough juice to power a typical refrigerator for 68 years. You could charge a Tesla Model 3 about 185 times. A midsized diesel generator would need to burn about 4,000 gallons of fuel over 400 hours to generate that much electricity.
According to court records, one of the first Asian TCO sites raided in Maine, in Carmel, was relying on an 800-amp service to supply as much as 42,900 kilowatt hours of electricity in a single month.
Vachon has been a licensed master electrician in Maine since 1998, but records show his installation of 400-amp services only really took off around the same time that Asian TCOs began establishing a foothold in Maine in 2020.
Vachon wasn’t the electrician for the sites in Carmel and Machias; however, several properties that have been targeted by law enforcement or local town officials in recent months.
Records list him as the master electrician for 34 Clover Lane in Whitefield, work her performed on behalf of Yanfen Cen. That property was busted Jan. 10 by the Lincoln County Sheriffs Department. Xiangming Yi, 61, initially fled the scene but was later arrested and charged with Class B felony illegal cultivation of marijuana.
State records also show Vachon as the master electrician for 107 Perkins St. in Norridgewock.
The Somerset County Sheriffs’ Department raided that property, along with three others nearby, in March, an enforcement action that led to the arrest of Jiamin Liao, 29, who has addresses in Maine, California, and New York. Searches of the three properties, two of which were owned by Liao, resulted in the seizure of $39,000, a 2022 Toyota SUV, 30 pounds of processed cannabis, and 900 mature plants.
Vachon was also the master electrician in charge of 51 Cider Hill Road in Corinna, a property that was recently gifted to a Chinese national living in Guangdong Province, China, a title transfer facilitated by Gov. Janet Mills’ brother, Paul H. Mills.
The code enforcement officer for Corinna told the Maine Wire last month that he has refused to sign the permits for the property’s requested commercial-grade electrical usage because Vachon indicated that it was intended to be a marijuana grow, but Corinna doesn’t allow commercial-scale marijuana cultivation.
“Marty Vachon called me a number of times to get me to sign off on it,” said Al Tempesta, code enforcement officer for Corinna and several surrounding towns. “And I said, ‘No, Marty,’ I said, ‘Corinna didn’t opt-in to grow pot’.”
Tempesta said the 51 Cider Hill property was not the only location where Vachon had asked him to approve commercial-grade power on behalf of unauthorized Chinese marijuana growing operations.
Of Vachon, Tempesta said, “He’s either going to end up as a witness, or as a defendant, at least that’s what I was told.”
The unlicensed cannabis grows where Vachon has worked are in Fairfield, Abbott, Athens, Corinth, Madison, Pittsfield, Lee, Palmyra, and Corinna, according to public records from the Electrical Examiners Board (EEB). Although the EEB records describe the properties as cannabis records, local officials in those communities, in response to Freedom of Access Act requests, said they were no approved cannabis facilities operating in their towns.
All of the following properties are, like the 51 Cider Hill Road property, described in EEB records as cannabis cultivation sites with requested electrical entrances above 400-amps and all of them were serviced under Vachon’s license.
34 Clover Lane, Whitefield: The Lincoln County Sheriff’s office raided the site on Jan. 10, seizing more than 1,000 illicit marijuana plants. At the time, Xaingming Ye, 62, of Brooklyn, fled the scene. On Feb. 1, Ye was finally arrested at the property, along with the homes owner Hongxia Kuang, 51, previously of Brooklyn. Kuang bought the house in Aug. 2021 using a Quontic Bank home loan originated by Ying-Chan Weng. According to EEB records, Vachon installed commercial-grade power at the site for Yanfen Cen in Oct. 2021.
131 Dore Hill Road, Athens: The point of contact for three separate electrical inspection records was Jia Men Chen. The name listed on the Dec. 2022 mortgage with Quontic Bank is Jianmei Chen, of Brooklyn, NY. The loan originator was Ying-Chan Weng. When the Maine Wire visited the property, several pallets of Promix and other growing supplies were visible from the driveway. In EEB records, the property is described as a cannabis cultivation site.
1 Henderson Court, Fairfield: The point of contact for three electrical inspection records was Cuihua Yu. Yu is also listed as the unmarried man who took out a mortgage with Quontic Bank in May 2022 for the property. The loan originator was Steven Ho. According to the deed, Yu was living on Staten Island at the time. When the Maine Wire visited the property, the air was pungent with the aroma of cannabis.
107 Perkins Street, Norridgewock: Patrick Yam is listed as the point of contact for the electrical inspection as well as the borrower on an Aug. 2021 mortgage with Quontic Bank originated by Ying-Chan Weng. Yam indicated that he was married, though no spouse is given. According to the deed, he was living in Fresh Meadows, N.Y. at the time.
555 Belfast Road, Freedom: A man going byAustin Zhen had Vachon install commercial-grade power to this property, which is described in EEB records as a marijuana grow. Zhen closed on the property in Dec. 2021 using a mortgage from Quontic Bank. According to the mortgage document, Steven Ho originated the loan.
117 West Road, Abbott: The property was purchased in Sept. 2020 by Da Qiang “Steven” Chen, of Edison, N.J. Earlier that month, under the name Steven Chen, Chen purchased a separate property at 9 Bates Road in Abbott. For the purchases, Chen provided two different addresses in Edison, N.J. for properties that are about a two-minute walk apart. According to electrical inspection records, Xiao Ling Lei was the point of contact. Both real estate transactions were paid in cash. EEB records list the property as a cannabis cultivation site.
179 Melody Lane, Saint Albans: Charlene Tszha Cheung, of Brooklyn, purchased this property in August 2023 and was the point of contact for Vachon’s electrical work. At the time of the all-cash transaction, Cheung listed her address as Staten Island, N.Y. EEB records indicate that the property as a cannabis cultivation site.
194 Beech Grove Road, Corinth: Yue Kang Fan was listed on the EEB record as the point of contact for the inspection, as well as a consumer-owned pole easement with Versant Power. According to the deed, the property was purchased in August of 2021 by Fan & Chen Management, Inc., a Searsport-based LLC that was registered in May of that year. The company used a loan from Quontic Bank, originated by Steven Ho and signed for by Bai Yu Chen. The electrical records list the house as a cannabis growing facility.
21 Golf Course Road, Madison: The original purchaser was Joe Hao Liang of Braintree, Mass., in June 2020. In October 2023, the property was sold to Changju Wu, also of Braintree. Xiaofen Liang was listed on the electrical permit application. Interestingly, a property at 288 Golf Course Road, which is also an illegal marijuana grow, was sold in Sept. 2023 from Yeijing “Jamie” Chen to Yanyi Wu, of Brooklyn. Wu also happens to own a separate property on the Wentworth Road in Embden. The electrical records list the house as a cannabis growing facility.
22 Mount Road, Pittsfield: Jianqun Chen, of Brooklyn, purchased this old chicken barn, along with an adjacent garage, from Hillandale Farms Conn, LLC in Feb. 2023. Although the chicken barn itself remains abandoned, the garage has an active 400-amp service. A recent visit by the Maine Wire showed fresh tire tracks in the snow leading to the adjacent building. According to the EEB permit application, there is an active cannabis grow on site. The electrical records list the house as a cannabis growing facility.
249 Winn Road, Lee: This more than 7,000 square-foot property, the site of a former church, was sold by the New England District of the Christian and Missionary Alliance to Huan Hong Lei, of Brooklyn, in May 2021. The EEB record lists Jian Yang Li as the point of contact for electrical work. Although the site was not an active marijuana grow as of the Maine Wire’s visit in early January, it is described as one in the electrical permit record. A source familiar with the property told the Maine Wire that Versant has recently connected its electricity at the behest of Vachon.
442 Estes Avenue, Palmyra: In the electrical records, Li Zhen Huang is listed as the applicant for the commercial-grade power service to the ranch style home. The property was purchased by Wen Xia Li of New York City using a Quontic Bank home loan in Nov. 2021. EEB records flag the site as a cannabis growing location.
51 Cider Hill Road, Corinna: Xiling Ou purchased this property, described by the listing agent as a “fixer upper,” in Feb. 2023. Ou was also the point of contact when Vachon signed off on electrical work and listed the property as a cannabis grow. In Feb., Ou described herself as a resident of Malden, Mass., when he signed the property over to Xiaoyu Lu “of 1501, 3 Dong, Bi Hai Ming Xuan, Hai Tao Ge Xi Yuan, Shunde Bi Gui Yuan, Foshan, GuangDong, China” – the address of a massive housing complex in Foshan, Guangdong, China.
508 Stage Road, Etna: In June 2022, Yanling Hu and Gordon Xu, both sharing an address at 129 Hemlock Street in Brooklyn, purchased this property. On the electrical permit, the man listed is Bryan Hu, a possible Americanized name or a relative who also resides at that Brooklyn address. Multiple 2023 electrical records list the property — a chicken barn located roughly a five minute drive from the chicken barn raided last July in Carmel — as a cannabis growing facility.
998 Farmington Falls Road, Farmington: Tei Zhen Li was listed as the point of contact in the EEB record, a record which also describes the property as a cannabis grow. Notably, the property is an old farm with a massive barn behind the residence. The mortgage record has the name as “Pei Zhen Li” of Staten Island.
1435 Pleasant Street, Blue Hill: The property was purchased by Guo Fang Chen in September 2021 using a Quontic Bank mortgage originated by Steven Ho. The EEB record lists Chen Guo Xin as the point of contact for the inspection.
39 Freedom Way, Starks: The point of contact for Vachon’s electrical inspection was Jing Jiang Wu. The property was purchased using a Quontic Bank mortgage in August 2021.
Vachon isn’t the only record tying these sites together. According to the EEB records, several of them listed the same phone number for multiple different points of contact: 207-612-1688 is listed as the phone number for what records describe as marijuana grows in Farmington, Woodville, Lee, Pittsfield, and Madison.
That phone number also happens to be the contact number for two additional properties in Maine that Vachon is not connected to through EEB records: 629 Norridgewock Road in Fairfield, which is listed in the EEB records as a cannabis grow, and 88 Delate Road in Stetson, which is not described as a cannabis grow. The contact for the Fairfield grow is Yuan Wei Huang, while the contact for the Stetson house is Zhen Yu Zhen.
Similarly, the phone number for the electrical work at the Starks property (207-412-8686) is also listed as the point of contact for three additional properties: 9 Rose Lane, Carmel; 1235 Moosehead Trail, Dixmont; and, 164 Millet Mallet Road, Lincoln. The EEB records do not list an electrician for any of those properties. According to the records, the points of contact were Anthony Zheng in Carmel, Jo Nrung Mai in Lincoln, and only “Qui” in Dixmont.
1308 Kingman Road, Kingman: Zhangda Zhen purchased the property in Dec. 2020, cash, and was listed as the point of contact for Vachon’s electrical work. No other public records could be found related to Zhen’s identity or previous address history. When the Maine Wire visited the property, it bore the telltale signs of a marijuana grow, including boarded up windows and an overpowering odor.
“They’re druggies,” said a neighbor, when asked to describe the occupants.
An Adopted Family
In the hour long phone interview, Vachon revealed intricate details of his relationship with the Chinese drug traffickers, his role in constructing the grows, and the Chinese foreign national — a legal immigrant — who serves as his handler, a man he referred to as his adopted son.
“When I started this with them, recognized what they’re doing, I saw a beautiful cottage industry,” Vachon said. “The family can just stay home and work. And, you know, do this indiscreetly and, you know, integrate them in the community,” he said.
Vachon said that Maine’s Chief Electrical Inspector Kern Butler told him Central Maine Power sees him as a “hero” for ensuring that illegal Chinese marijuana grows are using electricity safely.
“I talked to Kern Butler, chief electric inspector in the state, and he told me that one power company, Central Maine [Power], I guess, sees me as a hero,” Vachon said.
CMP declined to respond to an inquiry asking about the utility’s relationship with Vachon.
Butler did not respond to phone and email inquiries about this alleged exchange.
Vachon is not compensated with money for his work at the marijuana grows, but has instead been provided with a place to live — an arrangement he said was preferable to being “euthanized” at a nursing home.
“This Chinese people hard working people, they saw an opportunity to make a buck and they’re trying to, but they’re not hurting anybody,” said Vachon.
“The Chinese want to hide,” Vachon said. “And I’m their frontman.”
“I love being with these people,” he said.
“Can you imagine me being in nursing home? I’d have to be euthanized, wouldn’t take long,” he said.
Vachon, who has attempted several Vermin Supreme-style runs for governor of Maine, said he’s running again in 2026 as a write-in candidate.
Asked whether voters may be concerned that he is a self-described frontman for illegal Chinese marijuana organizations, Vachon said, “Well, when you say it like that, it sounds terrible.”
This is the first in a series of stories based on our interview with J. Martin Vachon. Stay tuned for more!
Follow all of the Maine Wire’s reporting on Triad Weed here.
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I know you’re really into this topic, Mr. Robinson and I appreciate what you do but the only crime that has been committed is growing marijuana without a license. They should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. But as far as a Chinese drug cartel connected to the CPC, there is no evidence. It fits the narrative though and if going along with it helps get rid of the actual criminals in Augusta, well ok I’ll play along.
10% to the big guy, 10% to the Mills cartel, 10% to the on and on…….
CBS this morning, great coverage! I dropped a few dimes…more coverage in other. news media soon.
I agree with Mr. Vachon about the Chinese people, but he missed the real issue here. Why is the Chinese Communist Government sending them here?
Last I knew stealing electricity from CMP and others, by wiring around the meter, was a pretty substantial crime even if the authorities don’t care about the pot. This guy is a thief and needs to be held accountable for it.
Andy do you work for The Governor? Or King?
Quontic Bank Cheillie are you asking about the bank yet or is that not much of a sin?
This is funny. Our wonderful legislature legalizes marijuana and look whats happened. Who’d a thunk it? Maybe they need to legalize more illicit drugs. Just think of all the business that would be created. I might be stupid but shouldn’t Marty be arrested as well for his support of criminal operations? I do admire his entrepreneurial spirit though.
confiscate every house
Sandy I am all in with you, Trump and MAGA but this reeks of a psyop. If you want to focus on these China weed growers, have at it. I am focused on our schools which are the front line of this attempt at revolution. If they get the minds of the children, Maine is lost.
This Vachon idiot doesn’t seem to care that these Chinese grow operations have been found using an extremely dangerous fungicide chemical on their plants called, “Eagle 20EW”. Then selling their grows to local dispensaries!
He should be locked up for the rest of his life.
“Eagle 20, a fungicide used in various crops, is not approved for use on cannabis by its manufacturer, Dow AgroSciences. When Eagle 20 is burned, it can release toxic and cancerous chemicals, including hydrogen cyanide gas. Potential side effects from consuming cannabis treated with Eagle 20 may include respiratory diseases, neurological complications, and cardiovascular problems. It is advised not to use Eagle 20 on cannabis due to these potential health risks.”
This is a psyop intended to shift blame for the opioid epidemic away from the CIA who has controlled every Illegal drug coming into the United States since its inception. Until yesterday, it was common knowledge that the CIA funded itself through drug trafficking. Now all of a sudden China is responsible? And what about the pharmaceutical companies? Don’t they benefit from shifting blame away from their role in the epidemic?
I don’t want China having any control of American resources. I also don’t want to be manipulated by intelligence agencies who now are loyal to corporate interests and not the American people. We cannot allow ourselves to be so easily manipulated.
This seems like an easy fix. Take his license.
I read this days ago and since more raids with no suspect apprehend. The Judge or DA is being paid off. How can you have a raid and no one is home????,
If I have a warrant to enter, I would have a law enforcement officer there 24/7 untill some one shows then raid it.
Only conclusion is collusion!
I forgot to add. Mill’s is getting her 10%. How can she look the other way? It’s the only way this crime continues.
I love people who want to in business, especially small
business. Do it legally, want grow pot, get a license. Don’t like the laws or process? Vote in Representatives that have your way thinking. Welcome to America.
“…the only countries that celebrate gay sex are aligned with the US, and all countries that don’t celebrate gay sex are lining up on the other side of this new global order. The reaction to gay sex, and in particular the US-jewish agenda to push gay sex on children, is so visceral that it is maybe even more influential than money for a lot of countries. You can imagine it on the personal level: how much money would you pay for your son not to be gay? The answer for most men is “all of it.”
The US Cries Out in Pain as It Threatens You and Accuses You of Being “Evil”
Unz Review
21 Apr 2024
🇺🇸 MAGA stands with 🇸🇩 Palestine!
‘Mike Johnson Pushes Debunked Lie That Israeli Babies Were ‘Cooked in Ovens’ On October 7’
Information Liberation
24 Apr 2024
“This lie was put out by United Hatzalah President Eli Beer on Oct 28 and was debunked within two days by Israeli journalists.
Johnson not only repeated this long-debunked lie but somehow turned it into multiple babies being baked in some sort of Hamas baby rotisserie.
The claim Johnson repeated that Hamas committed “mass rape” has also been completely debunked.“
And here I thought all out of state cannabis businesses were illegal in Maine……. until Wellness contributed to Mills election.
Bullshit story. Vachon can’t speak cantonese. There’s nothing an electrician can do that anyone can’t learn from youtube. 400amps has nothing to do with growing plants which only need the sun to grow. 400amps is for welding metal objects containing narcotics airtight so K-9 can’t smell them. Nobody with YouTube needs a ‘contractor’ for anything, and this state is full of narcotics-addicted little girl touchers with licenses that say master. One thing they can’t hide is the 400amp service. All you have to do is put 24hr tracking on the address at the substation. Rotozips will slice open in seconds anything they could possibly weld. Everyday chinese folks eat your lunch and pee in your Coca-Cola and you’re too dumb to see it. After you’re hauled off to prison they will buy the properties stanked up by pot plants, meth labs, and carfentanyl dose batches at as much as 75% reduced price, just like I told them they could. Be sure to pat yourselves on the back for maintaining a shit attitude towards people, because I’ll tell you all right now that if you had just behaved correctly like everyone in the forty-nine other States, I would’ve had no reason to do this to you.
Cuts into tax revenue that legal providers pay. Then, how is it distributed. Pushers who sell to minors? What about quality and ingredients?
Vachon doesn’t care. He has low life values and integrity
And what about quality of this idiotic , amoral loser’s work ? Who did the actual work ? The Chinese ? Did the inspector come by and pass it
Electrical fires happen. Can spread and kill innocent people. The selfish soulless old fart Vachon could care less.
BOOK HIM.