The U.S. Division of Justice has taken steps to grab 4 properties in Maine linked to intensive unlawful marijuana operations, in line with latest court docket paperwork.
The seizure, revealed in a collection of authorized paperwork obtained by the Maine Wire, is the primary indication that Maine Lawyer Common Darcie McElwee intends to grab properties linked to the community of unlawful drug trafficking websites, a community that the Division of Homeland Safety had. mentioned to be run by the Asian Transnational Felony Group with ties to the Chinese language Communist Get together.
4 properties positioned at 590 Hanson Highway, China, Maine; 414 East Kennebec Highway, Machias, Maine; 368 West Ridge Highway, Cornville, Maine; and 9 St. Albans Highway, Corinna, Maine are listed in McElwee's filings.
These properties, seized in numerous raids performed by numerous regulation enforcement companies between November 2023 and March 2024, had been allegedly concerned within the cultivation and distribution of marijuana on a big scale, working with out correct licenses from the Maine Workplace of Coverage of Hashish.
Particular property particulars:
1. 590 Hanson Highway, China, Maine: Owned by Xiao Liao after which managed by Tat Chong Lio, this property was famous for its refined rising operations unfold all through the residence and a indifferent storage, with substantial electrical energy use indicating massive quantity cultivation.
2. 414 East Kennebec Highway, Machias, Maine: This property, owned by HBA Properties, LLC, managed by Fanny Solar, has been recognized as a middle for the cultivation of greater than 2,600 marijuana crops, with intensive modifications to help the rising operation, together with excessive use electrical and specialised gear. A supply aware of the property mentioned the person who directed the preliminary modifications to the constructing was HBA Properties director Zhan “David” Su of Colorado. Different administrators of the Mass.-based LLC embrace Qiao Yi Wu and Sinh Phat Voong.
3. 368 West Ridge Highway, Cornville, Maine: Operated by Yuling Mei, this property underwent substantial alterations to remodel nearly your entire home into cultivation areas, which resulted within the seizure of lots of of marijuana crops and processed hashish. Mei, from Brooklyn, purchased the property in 2021.
4. 9 St. Albans Highway, Corinna, Maine: Linked to 336 Apex Inc., managed by Wen Hui Li, and tenant Jing Zeng, the property was discovered to include quite a few cultivation areas with 1000’s of marijuana crops, intensive electrical alterations, and excessive water use suggestive of enormous scale unlawful operations. Though not talked about within the submitting, 336 Apex and Li are additionally linked to different properties in Maine, together with a Garland residence at 1056 Dover Highway and a boarding home at 113 Cross Highway in Stetson.
The actions of the Division of Justice, detailed in court docket paperwork offered Thursday, emphasize the delicate nature of those operations, which regularly contain a number of properties and important alterations to facilitate unlawful actions.
The filings search everlasting forfeiture of those properties below statutes associated to drug trafficking and the upkeep of drug premises.
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Weed Triad: US Division of Justice Strikes to Seize Maine Properties Linked to Giant-Scale Marijuana Operations
