Woman Busted For Growing 600 Weed Plants In Maine Did It For The Smell, They're 'Like My Babies'

A Chinese woman caught growing roughly 600 marijuana plants in Maine told police she did it because she liked the way they smelled.

Arrested on August 27, 29-year-old Jiamin Liao is facing two felony charges for operating a premises associated with marijuana in the U.S. District Court for Maine in Bangor, reported WGME.

In addition to cannabis plants, the police also seized roughly 20 pounds of processed cannabis as well. The bust took place in March at two properties in Madison and Norridgewock that Liao bought using money her family gave her.

Liao told police she kept processed cannabis in 1-pound bags in her closet and that they were not for sale, referring to them as "like my babies."

The federal government aims to seize the Norridgewock house through civil forfeiture, a legal process requiring the U.S. attorney to demonstrate in court that there is a “preponderance of evidence” connecting the property to criminal activity.

Read Also: Privacy vs. Policing: Maine’s Electric Company’s Plan To Expose Illegal Cannabis Grows Sparks Debate

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Maine Is Swamped With Illicit Cannabis Operations

Earlier this year law enforcement agencies busted another illegal grow operation seizing 40 pounds (18 kilograms) of processed cannabis, being one of roughly a hundred similar illegal weed grow operations in Maine, according to federal law enforcement officials.

Maine’s Congressional Delegation sent a letter to the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) over a year ago, calling on the agency to help put an end to the presence of foreign-owned and illegally operated marijuana businesses statewide.

"Law enforcement in the state has identified 270 suspected properties that have been used as illegal Chinese growing operations, producing an estimated $4.37 billion in revenue,” the letter said at the time.

In February, a bipartisan group of 50 Congress members from the House and Senate urged Attorney General Merrick Garland to look into potential connections between the Chinese government and illicit cannabis cultivation operations not just in Maine, but throughout the United States.

Read Next:

• New Mexico’s Dark Discovery: Chinese Workers Trapped On Illegal Cannabis Farms