Multiple Maine law enforcement agencies responded on Tuesday to a property at 199 Middle Road in Fairfield that has long been suspected of having ties to Asian Transnational Criminal Organizations (ATCOs) involved in illicit drug trafficking.
Video obtained by the Maine Wire shows more than a dozen marked and unmarked law enforcement vehicles at the house Tuesday morning.
According to a statement from the Somerset County Sheriff’s Department, more than 700 illegal marijuana plants were found on the premises but no arrests were made.
According to Somerset Registry of Deeds records, the property is owned by Guoli Liu, aka Skylur Liu, a 33-year-old man from New York. He purchased the property in cash in May 2021 using the name Skylur G. Liu and an address in Brooklyn.
There’s no indication yet whether any individuals have been arrested or charged in relation to the law enforcement activity at Liu’s property, nor have any police agencies explained why the massive police response was present at the residence.
According to Liu’s Facebook page, he’s well-travelled for a 33-year-old. His profile shows recent trips to Hong Kong, Rome, London, and several trips to Amsterdam.
The Facebook page and his LinkedIn page also say he’s worked as a flight attendant for a major American airline.
The property is among the more than 270 residential properties in Maine that a Department of Homeland Security (DHS) investigation found had links to Asian organized crime, according to a copy of the property list obtained by the Maine Wire.
The sprawling network of foreign-controlled drug trafficking sites in Maine first became public knowledge in August 2023 when a leaked DHS memo was reported by immigration reporter Jennie Taer. The memo, though it did not contain any addresses, stated that ATCOs were using more than 270 properties to grow vast amounts of black market cannabis for sale in Maine and outside the state. According to the memo, the proceeds from those cannabis sales were supporting other illicit activities, like human trafficking and narcotics trafficking, and at least some of the funds were transferred back to mainland China.
Since the original DHS memo leaked, the Maine Wire has identified more than 300 properties and entities suspected of having ties to the Chinese drug cartel, including boarding houses, seemingly legitimate business fronts, real estate agents, electricians, and other cannabis businesses.
Read More of the Maine Wire’s TRIAD WEED Series:
- Illegal Chinese Neurotoxins Are Coming to Maine’s Blackmarket Cannabis Grows: Maine Threat Brief
- Welcomed to Maine by LePage, Eastport Seafood Biz Devolved Into Illicit Marijuana Trafficking Operation with Ties to Hong Kong
- Three Chinese Nationals Caught Sneaking Into Maine from Canada Amid Asian Organized Crime Epidemic
- The Triad’s Electrician: Meet the 87-Year-Old “Frontman” for Chinese Marijuana Grows in Maine
- The Restaurateur: Bangor Business Owner Linked to Illicit Marijuana Grows
- How the U.S. Treasury Department Helps Chinese Organized Crime Transform American Homes Into Drug Dens
Although roughly two-thirds of the properties involved in the criminal scheme were purchased using large quantities of untraceable cash, between 70-80 were purchased using mortgages, most of those originated by Quontic Bank of New York.
Last March, the Maine Wire reported exclusively that even Maine Gov. Janet Mills’ older brother, Paul Mills, has conducted business with black-market Chinese marijuana cultivators.
According to documents uncovered by the Maine Wire, Mills, an attorney by trade, helped a Chinese national living in Guangdong Province acquire an illicit marijuana grow in Corinna by serving as the real estate transfer attorney for a gift transfer.
In a phone interview, Mills recalled having helped the Chinese national acquire the property, though he couldn’t remember exactly how he became involved in the transaction.
The Chinese organized crime epidemic in Maine hasn’t been limited to black-market cannabis, either.
In the past year, multiple Asian massage parlors have been shuttered after their owners and operators were arrested.
In February, Tian “Adam” Tao, 54, owner of “Asian Massage” in Rockland was arrested, charged with sex trafficking, and slated for deportation back to his native China.
In other instances, Chinese scammers have targeted elderly Mainers with aggressive schemes. In December, three Chinese nationals — including one illegal alien — were arrested after they were caught attempting to scam an 82-year-old York County man out of $100,000 cash.
[RELATED: Chinese Illegal Aliens Arrested After Scamming 82-Year-Old Maine Man for $50,000…]
The Somerset County Sheriff’s Department did not immediately respond to an inquiry regarding the nature and purpose of the enforcement activity at the Fairfield house.
This story will be updated when more information is available.
