Woman released on bond after pleading not guilty to running illegal marijuana grows in Maine

A Chinese national accused of running illegal marijuana grow operations in central Maine was granted bond by a judge Thursday after pleading not guilty to federal charges.

Jiamin Liao, 29, is charged with two felony counts of maintaining a marijuana-involved premise , one in Madison and the other in Norridgewock, in U.S. District Court of Maine in Bangor.

She pleaded not guilty to the charges Wednesday after being arrested Tuesday. On Thursday she was granted a $5,000 bond, which she posted, according to court records.

A warrant was issued for Liao’s arrest in May, about two months after police searched a home on Thurston Hill Road in Madison and one on Upper Main Street in Norridgewock , seizing roughly 600 marijuana plants and 30 pounds of processed cannabis at illegal grow houses.

After the March raids, Liao was charged in Somerset County court with illegal cultivation of marijuana and drug trafficking. She was taken to the local jail and released on a $10,000 bail.

Police say Liao maintained the Madison property from roughly Dec. 1, 2022, until March 25, 2024, when they raided it, according to the grand jury indictment. She also allegedly maintained an illegal marijuana grow from November to March on Upper Main Street in Norridgewock.

The federal government is seeking forfeiture of $39,625 that it says was proceeds from the illegal marijuana grows.

The federal government is also looking to seize the Norridgewock house through civil forfeiture, a process where the U.S. attorney must prove in court there is a “preponderance of evidence” the property is linked to criminal activity. There are ongoing proceedings against five other similar properties in Maine .

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.