The Maine State Police executed a search warrant at a property in Parsonfield Friday morning that was suspected of harboring an illegal marijuana cultivation operation.
“On Friday, June 7, 2024, at approximately 8: 45 a.m., members of the Maine State Police alongside the Office of Homeland Security Investigations, Drug Enforcement Agency, and the Maine Office of Cannabis Policy (OCP) executed a search warrant at 424 Maplecrest Road in Parsonsfield,” a state police spokesperson said in an email.
“The community made multiple complaints to the Parsonsfield town office, which passed the complaint on to Maine OCP and the State Police about the high likelihood of a marijuana growing operation,” the spokesperson said.
The town office of Parsonsfield had received several reports from concerned residents about a suspected marijuana growing operation at the Maplecrest Road address.
These reports were subsequently forwarded to the Maine OCP and the State Police, triggering an investigation.
Officials determined that the residence had been used for an illegal marijuana cultivation operation since March 2022.
[RELATED: Triad Weed: How Chinese Marijuana Grows Took Over Rural Maine…]
According to York County real estate records, the property was purchased by Qiaoping Zhang, of New Hampshire, in July 2021.
When purchasing that Parsonfield property, Zhang gave an address in Manchester that corresponds with Bonsai’s Restaurant at 2264 Candia Road.
Upon entering the premises of the York County house, authorities discovered more than 2,500 marijuana plants, the majority of which were mature and budding.
According to Maine law, an adult may legally possess up to six mature marijuana plants for recreational use and an additional six for medical use. The scale of the operation at Maplecrest Road far exceeded these legal limits.
The building, seen above, formerly served as the Maplecrest Hotel.
In addition to the large number of marijuana plants, the investigation revealed several serious safety violations.
The building was found to have unsafe living conditions and significant fire hazards, compounded by the use of harmful pesticides.
The property also housed intricate lighting and hydroponic systems designed to support the extensive marijuana grow operation.
All marijuana plants were seized and subsequently destroyed. As of this report, no arrests have been made, but the investigation is ongoing.
This was just the third bust of an illegal marijuana growing operation this year that involved the Maine State Police.
Gov. Janet Mills (D) and her Department of Public Safety Commissioner, Michael Sauschuck, have refused to comment on the activities of Chinese transnational criminal organizations in Maine despite more than 40 raids on properties throughout Maine linked to the groups.
