Transnational criminal organizations scored a major victory Tuesday in their ongoing effort to exploit rural Maine through the illicit cultivation and trafficking of vast amounts of illegal cannabis.
The only bill that would have led to a more aggressive crackdown on the illegal operations failed to secure support in the Maine House of Representatives voted, with a bipartisan majority voting against a bill that would have made it harder for the criminal organizations to operate with impunity throughout rural Maine.
Rep. John Andrews (R-Paris), the author of the bill, introduced the measure in response to a leaked Department of Homeland Security memo that indicated Asian transnational criminal organizations have developed a network of more than 270 illegal cannabis growing facilities.
According to the DHS memo, the proceeds of those funds are used to finance human trafficking, fentanyl trafficking, and other activities of the Chinese Communist Party.
Andrews’ bill would have banned foreign nationals from certain hostile countries from acquiring or owning land in Maine, given Maine what’s known as a “Little RICO” statute, and required public utilities to report to the Maine State Police on sudden changes in electricity usage that law enforcement commonly associates with cannabis cultivation.
The bill would have, for example, prevented a recent real estate transaction in which Paul H. Mills, the brother of Gov. Janet Mills (D), helped a Chinese national acquire nine-acres in Penobscot County.
In an 84 to 61 vote, the House opted to accept the minority report of Joint Standing Committee on Criminal Justice and Public Safety.
During the committee vote, the “ought to pass as amended” report was backed by a bipartisan majority of members, including Sen. Matt Harrington (R-York), Sen. David LaFountain (D-Kennebec), Rep. Michael Lajoie (D-Lewiston), Rep. Daniel Newman (R-Belgrade), Rep. Robert Nutting (R-Oakland) and Rep. Chad Perkins (R-Dover-Foxcroft) all voted to accept an amended version of the bill.
A minority of the committee members voted to reject the bill, including Sen. Anne Beebe-Center (D-Knox), Rep. Suzanne Salisbury (D-Westbrook), Rep. Tavis Hasenfus (D-Readfield), Rep. Kristi Matheson (D-Kittery), and Rep. Nina Milliken (D-Blue Hill).
When the measure came up for a roll call vote Tuesday afternoon, the vote did not fall neatly along partisan lines. Democratic leadership opted to move the committee’s minority report, meaning that a “Yes” vote would oppose the proposal while a “No” vote would support the proposal.
Assistant House Republican Leader Amy Arata (R-Gray New Gloucester), Rep. Larry Dunphy (R-Embden), Rep. David Boyer (R-Poland), Rep. Lucas Lanigan (R-Sanford), Rep. Laurel Libby (R-Auburn), and Rep. Tracy Quint (R-Hodgdon) all joined Democrats to help kill the bill.
Rep. Lajoie , Rep. Kevin O’Connell (D-Brewer), and Rep. Walter Riseman voted with Republicans in favor of Andrews’ bill.
Andrews bill would establish stringent measures against the perpetration of racketeering in connection with scheduled drugs, including illegally grown cannabis as well as synthetic opioids like fentanyl.
The legislation would establish in Maine what’s known in 33 other states as a “Little RICO” law, a provision that would allow prosecutors to target individuals engaged in a pattern of criminal activity related to the drug trade with severe penalties.
Such a pattern would be defined as the involvement in at least three criminal acts within a decade, not necessarily linked by a single event but by a common scheme or a shared criminal enterprise. The proposal would target those who maintain control over enterprises through criminal activities, with particular emphasis on the production, manufacturing, or trafficking of scheduled drugs.
Offenders found guilty under the proposed law could face Class A crimes, with penalties extending up to 20 years in prison, or fines reaching $1,000,000. Those involved in the aggravated trafficking of scheduled drugs would see even harsher sentences, with imprisonment terms of up to 30 years. The legislation would also allow for the imposition of fines up to three times the economic gain or loss resulting from the criminal activity, alongside the costs of investigation and prosecution.
A notable aspect of the bill is its provision for the forfeiture of assets, both real and personal, used in the commission of racketeering crimes. This would involve the forfeiture of positions, offices, contracts, and any property derived from criminal conduct.
Andrews bill would have also turned over any residential properties confiscated as the result of criminal investigations to the Maine State Housing Authority for rehabilitation and re-sale.
The bill would have also required Maine’s public utilities to report to the Maine State Police when electricity usage or infrastructure upgrades at a residence surges in a pattern typically associated with large-scale marijuana cultivation.
Lastly, the bill would have imposed restrictions on real estate acquisitions by aliens from certain countries identified adversarial by the U.S. State Department, a list which currently includes the People’s Republic of China, the Russian Federation, and North Korea.
The proposal will now head to the Maine Senate for consideration, where it is expected to meet a similar outcome.
To read more about the proliferation of transnational organized crime in Maine, check out any of the following stories:
- 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
- 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
