Illicit Cannabis Grows

Tell-Tale Signs Led To Cannabis Bust In Maine As Feds Crack Down On International Criminal Organizations Growing Illegal Weed
Maine law enforcement has recently busted another illegal grow operation seizing 40 pounds (18 kilograms) of processed cannabis, reported the Associated Press. A naturalized U.S. citizen born in China Xisen Guo has been running a hidden high-tech cannabis grow operation from his house in Passadumkeag, as per court documents. In February, he got arrested following the police raid on his home. Guo's operation appeared on the police radar due to the home's utility bills that surged to nearly $9,000 a month from $300 prior to the house being purchased for $125,000 in cash by a limited liability company. During the raid, police also found heat pumps, lighting and additional gear used for the cultivation of marijuana, according to court documents. Guo's was ordered held on Friday on federal drug charges.
Is Chinese Communist Party Behind Illegal Marijuana Grows In US? Congress Wants Answers
A bipartisan group of 50 congressmen has written to Attorney General Merrick Garland urging the Department of Justice to investigate potential links between the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and illicit cannabis cultivation operations in the US. The legislators expressed concern about reports of Chinese nationals and organised crime groups growing marijuana on US farmland, and requested that Garland answer a series of questions related to the department's efforts against illegal cannabis grows associated with the CCP. The Department of Homeland Security recently identified hundreds of suspected Chinese illegal marijuana grow operations in Maine alone. A separate letter sent to the DOJ by members of Maine's Congressional Delegation claimed that "law enforcement in the state has identified 270 suspected properties that have been used as illegal Chinese growing operations, producing an estimated $4.37bn in revenue".