Authorities in Maine have identified more than 200 properties in the state that may be being used by Chinese nationals to grow marijuana illegally, according to a federal memo obtained by the Daily Caller.
According to the report, large areas of the Democratic state are being occupied by Chinese nationals who grow illegal crops generating profits of billions of dollars that are then sent to the Asian country.
The July memorandum indicates that there are 270 Chinese operations suspected of illegal cultivation. One estimate estimates the profit from these unlawful crops at more than $4 billion.
“We think the Chinese are taking advantage of rural areas, like Maine, to produce marijuana to sell across state lines and funnel the profits back to China,” a federal law enforcement source said, according to the Daily Caller report.
It should be noted that marijuana has been legal in Maine for several years, and residents (over 21 years old) are allowed to grow up to three mature and 12 immature plants for personal use. However, it is suspected that the operations owned by Chinese nationals exceed those limits and carry out grow operations of thousands of individual marijuana plants.
🚨EXCLUSIVE🚨 from @jenniestaer
Illegal Chinese Marijuana Grow Operations Are Taking Over Blue State, Leaked Memo Says https://t.co/tYBcYq8P8T
— Daily Caller (@DailyCaller) August 17, 2023
Recently, a drug trafficking operation in Maine was dismantled that had 3,400 individual marijuana plants and 111 pounds of the drug processed.
“There are hundreds of these operations occurring throughout the state. It’s upsetting to those who live near these operations, and even those who are following Maine laws and procedures,” Penobscot County Sheriff Troy Morton said.
The main illegal growers are Chinese or Mexican
According to Rich Debevec, the sergeant with the San Bernardino County Marijuana Control Team, most illegal marijuana farms in the United States are operated by Chinese or Mexican nationals. The sergeant estimated that at least 85% of illegal growers hold one of these two nationalities.
