The Somerset County Sheriff’s Office Criminal Division executed a drug search warrant at a residence in Anson Friday morning, Sheriff Dale Lancaster said in a press release.
No individuals were present during the execution of the warrant.
According to Somerset real estate records, the 264 Horseback Road property was purchased most recently by Baker Li, of Brooklyn, in Sept. 2021.
Records show the seller as Yuling Mei, of Brooklyn, NY, who purchased the property in March 2020 before selling to Li.
Mei, 63, was arrested in January at a separate illegal marijuana cultivation facility in Cornville, along with Huansheng Mai, 75, and Yiming Hu, 68.
After her arrest, Mei was given $1,000 bail, which she posted in cash four days after her arrest.
Under the terms of her bail, Mei was ordered not to leave the state of Maine while her case is pending.
However, on her booking documents, Mei provided 273 Madison Ave in Skowhegan as her mailing address, which is the location of the Belmont Motel.
A clerk at the hotel told the Maine Wire that Mei was at the hotel for less than 12 hours before someone arrived to pick her up.
The search in Anson revealed active marijuana cultivation rooms in the residence, a detached garage, and a detached barn.
Authorities seized a total of 1,761 marijuana plants, several pounds of processed marijuana, and illegal drug-related documentation.
The search was conducted by a team of four Sheriff’s Office detectives, one patrol deputy, an agent from the Federal Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), an agent from U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), and two investigators from the Maine Office of Cannabis Policy.
As with previous enforcement actions in Somerset County, the Maine State Police were not mentioned in the press release as an assisting agency.
The Somerset County District Attorney’s Office also assisted with the investigation, according to Lancaster.
Once the responsible individuals are located, they will face charges of cultivation of marijuana (Class B) and unlawful trafficking in scheduled drugs (Class B).
This marks the 20th drug search warrant obtained and executed by the Sheriff’s Office Criminal Division since mid-January 2024, targeting suspected illegal marijuana cultivation sites in Somerset County.
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.
What ever happened to ‘see something, say something’ or ‘citizen’s arrest’? Where’s the all out citizen accountability or responsibility? Come on, enough is enough! How are these illegals able to own property, thrive, perpetuate unlawfulness, send profits back to China, not Maine, the Country? It’s time to hold ALL persons involved in these transactions accountable…the realtor and agency; the lawyers; the electrician(s) and the utility companies who supply the electricity, heat, water; the construction workers who restructure infrastructures; the snow truck plowers, clearing out long rural roads where these illegals reside; the local markets who allow these illegals to buy supplies; the furniture & equipment companies delivering beds, tables, lamps, refrigerators, etc; the banks controlling the cash flow; the vehicle dealerships and repair shops; the local hair salon stylists with only-chinese speaking clients; the local town offices and state agents, law enforcement officers allowing illegals to carry on or escape punishment; the Soros controlled Maine newspaper editors and “journalists” disregarding truth reporting; and lastly, the political Maine Marxist machine who created deliberate laws to bring down our great Country. VOTE THEM OUT & REGAIN MAINE!
durh im a fed hitler hitler hitler
how is it these grow sites often Don’t have anyone there? where is the leak coming from?
The legal grow sites that I’ve visited were typically staffed by a minimum of three people that I have visited in this state. these visits were typically business hours, so what are the law-enforcement doing? Are they visiting outside of business hours? Is Janet Mills brother involved still in representation of any of these grow facilities busted or currently on the radar? Why is Janet Mills quiet on this?
When will the Governor not only acknowledge this criminality, but also publicly thank the sheriffs for their persistence and hard work? What am I thinking? She’s busy destroying “the way life should be” for tax paying Mainers.
“No individuals were present during the execution of the warrant.”
Who is tipping them off so they are not there?
Have Joe’s boys checked any of the Brooklyn addresses out? There feds in on the raids.
The Feds are in on this. What does King know?
I have asked before were are the Feds who control Bank/HUD loans?
All now controled by the Democrates
Nobody ever seems to be at the houses… is that a coincidence?
Twenty or so down, only 250 more to go! But the important question: how does this affect the “Big Guy’s” cash flow?
Absolutely WILD how none of the big Maine MSM outlets are reporting jack shi*t on this, huh? (heavy sarcasm there.). I find it interesting that collectively, they aren’t even mentioning their direct ties to transnational organized crime, when they reported on the pitiful few arrests that have been made during these raids/busts. Just reporting on it as if the few Chinese people being arrested at one of the illegal grows, are just a few Mainers who made bad decisions.Nothing to see here…They ALL reported on those arrests as if the people arrested aren’t actually funding an org that has become the principal money launderers for the Mexican drug cartels in Mexico, Italy and in many other places..and now Maine.
If anyone has ever looked into the Chinese Mafia/Triads gang…then you already know that you DO NOT want these people as your neighbors. You do not want people associated and funding their violent organized crime activity, by buying up properties in your home state, OR anywhere in your country for that matter.
They aren’t just setting up these grows to sell weed….they are funding OTHER, FAR WORSE crimes with the funds that they are generating from these illegal weed grows. So its not just “someone illegally growing too much weed” here. They use these funds from lower risk illegal activities, like grow ops in states where growing SOME is legal..to fund the organization as a whole. An organizations that partakes in drug trafficking (think Fenton and other hard drugs that worth more than weed sales) and human/sex trafficking! And they are taking advantage of Maine to do it….and the governor, and almost all of Maine’s MSM is pretending this isn’t happening. 😡
Just like the other commenter here, Burt Dow, asked, “What ever happened to ‘ see something, say something” or “citizens arrest”?”…Us Mainers need to use our voices and demand this get addressed before its allowed to balloon even more than it already has. Burt Dow is absolutely right! If you SEE these people setting up suspected grow ops, (you can Google the signs and commonly used items easily on Google) then tip the police off! (You can do so anonymously!) tip the state police off!..Bring it to your local town officials attention. And the people in your towns attention (after all , the louder and more people speaking on it, the better the odds the gov addresses it/responds) .
And don’t even get me started on Portland/southern Maine’s lady of the hour, Mills. And her utter refusal to acknowledge this issue that’s been able to BALLOON under her nose. This could easily be sniffed out. The FEDS already have done half the work for them, finding TONS of them as reported in the leak last year.
Lastly, anyone who knows anything about grow ops, and grow op busts, knows that they use a TON of electricity.(more than 3,000KWH PER MONTH for grows, compared to just 550KWH per month for actual residential homes in Maine. That’s a HUGE difference) That’s exactly how illegal grow ops used to be uncovered all the time. By simply watching the electricity usage of places listed as “residential” dwellings, sky rocket. Its obvious and a quick and efficient way for LEO’s to then accurately target potential illegal activities, such as the plethora of Chinese Mafia illegal grows. Unfortunately, you’ll notice if you Google about it, that in August 2024 Maine regulator’s opted AGAINST giving this very obvious sign of illegal grows, to the police. Further allowing it to go on and spread without any significant pushback from the State officials themselves. They opted against giving our local Law enforcement support in fighting these spreading organized crime rings in the state…Just think about that.. WHY would they want to do that???.We should ask Mills and her brother….after all, he has ties to nonprofits that have ties to CMP, AND he was caught dealing with one of these illegal grows already!!! 🚩