GOP Senator Presses Antony Blinken On Illicit Cannabis Operations Linked To Chinese Organized Crime Groups, Sec Of State Defers To DEA

Republican Senator Susan Collins is pushing the federal government to do more to crack down on illegal marijuana growing operations in Maine. She took her request to Secretary of State Antony Blinken.

There is a need for federal support for Maine law enforcement as they work to shut down illegal cannabis operations, Collins says.

Illegal cannabis operations are all over the northern two-thirds of the state, she says.

Collins Wants Answers From Blinken And Help From The Feds

The senator questioned Blinken last week at a hearing to review the Fiscal Year 2025 budget. She told the committee that illegal operations in Maine pose a national security and public health risk.

"According to the Drug Enforcement Administration's (DEA) 2024 assessment, there's been a notable uptick in the number of illicit marijuana cultivation sites linked to Chinese and other Asian organized crime groups. That includes my state of Maine, where between 100 and 200 sites have been identified," said Collins, vice chair of the Appropriations Committee.

"Mr. Secretary, are these Chinese criminal syndicates operating these illegal marijuana grows in our country with the knowledge and consent of the government of China?" she asked.

Blinken deferred to the DEA “because they have the expertise about what’s going on in the United States. Dealing with countering narcotics is a big part of our engagement with China,” he said. “We’re, of course very focused on synthetic opioids, fentanyl. But any drug that poses a problem and is threatening our communities is something that we’re deeply concerned with."

Electrical Power Spikes Dead Giveaways To Illegal Operations

Meanwhile, huge electrical use is leading Maine authorities to farmhouses that are using up to 40 times what an average home would use.

According to a police search warrant, power spikes started almost immediately after a Chinese national moved into a home in the small town of Jay (population 4,620) in the summer of 2022. They even added a second meter to the home, likely to prevent an overload.

Investigators said there were plenty of other signs of an illegal operation, including “a strong odor of marijuana” coming from inside, two heat pump condensers, two Central Mine Power (CMP) meters with one line going back to the barn and boarded-up windows. CMP announced that it will disclose power usage without a customer’s consent if law enforcement provides a subpoena.

Once inside the house, a search warrant uncovered a massive marijuana grow with lights, irrigation and ventilation systems, but no suspects.

Maine's Public Utilities Commission has yet to decide if utilities will independently report power spikes to police if they believe a crime has been committed.

Photo courtesy of Somerset County Sheriff’s Office