Concerns Grow Over Suspected Illegal Marijuana Operations in Maine

Illicit marijuana operations tied to Chinese criminal networks are proliferating in Maine, with over 200 suspected unlicensed grow houses currently operating.

In December 2024, Maine law enforcement raided a large illegal growing operation in Machias with over 2,600 plants, one of the biggest indoor grows officers had ever seen.

Chinese organized crime groups are behind some of the largest black market marijuana trafficking organizations nationwide, raising bipartisan concern.

Telltale signs of illegal grows include massive electricity usage to power grow lights and ventiliation, shuttered windows, and suspicious vans.

Some Chinese nationals working in illegal weed operations are labor trafficking victims brought to the U.S. under false pretenses and forced to tend crops.