A Chinese woman living in New York pleaded guilty on Monday to operating illegal marijuana grow sites at properties she owned in Madison and Norridgewock.
Jiamin Liao, 30, of New York City, purchased a property at 571 Thurston Hill Rd., Madison, in order to convert it into an illegal marijuana cultivation facility.
In March 2024, the Somerset Sheriff’s Department executed a search warrant at the Madison property, along with another residence at 114 Upper Main St., Norridgewock, which is also owned by Liao.
During the Madison raid, police found 551 marijuana plants and a variety of chemicals, including Eagle 20 EW, a fungicide, and grow equipment.
Law enforcement located Liao at the Norridgewock property, along with approximately 30 pounds of processed marijuana.
At the time, Liao admitted to law enforcement that she was using the Madison property to cultivate marijuana and had packaged and stored it at the Norridgewock location.
She was initially released on a $10,000 bail following state charges but was arrested again in May 2024 after federal charges were filed.
She faces a maximum fine of $500,000 and a possible sentence of 20 years in prison.
The FBI, U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), and Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) conducted the federal investigation with help from the Somerset Sheriff’s Department.
In January 2025, another Chinese marijuana grower, Xisen Guo, 69, pleaded guilty to his role in the illegal drug trafficking operation in Maine.
