Feds want to seize 2 more alleged illegal marijuana grow houses in Maine

The federal government wants to seize two more houses in central Maine allegedly used for illegally growing marijuana.

Two lawsuits filed Tuesday in U.S. District Court of Maine in Bangor are the first step for the federal government to be awarded ownership of the properties by civil forfeiture. The U.S. attorney’s office is looking to take ownership of 1052 Douty Hill Road in Sangerville and 114 Upper Main St. in Norridgewock.

It’s the latest action taken by law enforcement to crack down on illegal marjuana grows across Maine. There may be more than 100 grows left . Enforcement has ramped up following a federal government memo, which leaked in August 2023, that said there were up to 270 large-scale illegal grows in Maine connected to Chinese organized crime, with profits being used to further crime in the U.S. or be sent back to China. These operations generate an estimated $4.37 billion in revenue.

The U.S. attorney’s office has ongoing proceedings against four other properties in Maine that were alleged marijuana grow houses, at 368 West Ridge Road in Cornville, 590 Hanson Road in China, 414 East Kennebec Road in Machias and 9 St. Albans Road in Corinna.

Maine law prohibits the state from pursuing forfeiture of property connected to adult use of marijuana in specific circumstances . However, federal law does not have the same provision. The U.S. attorney must still prove in court there is a “preponderance of evidence” the property is linked to criminal activity.

In Sangerville and Norridgewock, law enforcement found evidence of illegal marijuana grow including nearly 2,000 cannabis plants and about 30 pounds of processed cannabis when they raided the houses, the lawsuits said.

The Norridgewock house is owned by Jiamin Liao, who is charged in both federal and state court for various alleged marijuana violations. When police arrested her in the house, they found roughly $39,625 in the room with her, along with a money counting machine, according to court records.

She told police she would use the Norridgewock house to store processed marijuana, while using a house she owned in Madison to grow, court records said. She had been doing that for about six months.

The Sangerville house used roughly 17,000 to 25,000 kilowatt hours of electricity a month, according to records from Central Maine Power Company. The average household uses 875 kilowatt hours per month.

There were also numerous drying marijuana plants on the property and the buds were taken from the plants back to the Piscataquis County Sheriff’s Office. The buds weighed 26 pounds, court records said.