A New York woman pleaded guilty Monday in U.S. District Court in Bangor to maintaining a marijuana-involved premises after investigators said she operated an illegal grow operation in Somerset County.Federal prosecutors say 30-year-old Jiamin Liao purchased a home in Madison to manufacture and distribute marijuana and used a second property she owned in Norridgewock to store the processed drug.According to court records, investigators with the Somerset County Sheriff’s Office executed search warrants in March 2024 at both properties. At the Madison residence, authorities found 551 marijuana plants, chemical products and extensive indoor growing equipment.According to prosecutors, Liao was found at the Norridgewock property with about 30 pounds of processed marijuana. During interviews with law enforcement, Liao admitted she grew the marijuana in Madison, packaged it into one-pound bags and stored it in Norridgewock.Neither Liao nor the properties were licensed through the Maine Office of Cannabis Policy, authorities said.Liao faces up to 20 years in prison and a maximum fine of $500,000. A sentencing date has not yet been set. A federal judge will determine the sentence after reviewing a presentence investigation report and considering federal sentencing guidelines.The case was investigated by the FBI, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration and Homeland Security Investigations, with assistance from the Somerset County Sheriff’s Office.The prosecution comes amid ongoing concerns about illegal marijuana grow operations in Maine. Maine’s Total Coverage has previously reported on an increase of unlicensed, Chinese-owned grow houses in rural areas. Law enforcement officials have said many of the potentially hundreds of operations involve out-of-state or foreign nationals and often use residential properties to conceal large-scale cultivation.Authorities have also raised alarms about the environmental, health and safety risks associated with illegal grow sites, including the use of banned pesticides, electrical hazards and potential links to organized crime.Federal officials said the case is part of the Homeland Security Task Force initiative, a multi-agency effort aimed at disrupting transnational criminal organizations and other alleged illicit operations in the United States.The Maine Homeland Security Task Force includes agents from numerous federal and state agencies, with the prosecution led by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Maine.
A New York woman pleaded guilty Monday in U.S. District Court in Bangor to maintaining a marijuana-involved premises after investigators said she operated an illegal grow operation in Somerset County.
Federal prosecutors say 30-year-old Jiamin Liao purchased a home in Madison to manufacture and distribute marijuana and used a second property she owned in Norridgewock to store the processed drug.
According to court records, investigators with the Somerset County Sheriff’s Office executed search warrants in March 2024 at both properties.
At the Madison residence, authorities found 551 marijuana plants, chemical products and extensive indoor growing equipment.
According to prosecutors, Liao was found at the Norridgewock property with about 30 pounds of processed marijuana. During interviews with law enforcement, Liao admitted she grew the marijuana in Madison, packaged it into one-pound bags and stored it in Norridgewock.
Neither Liao nor the properties were licensed through the Maine Office of Cannabis Policy, authorities said.
Liao faces up to 20 years in prison and a maximum fine of $500,000. A sentencing date has not yet been set. A federal judge will determine the sentence after reviewing a presentence investigation report and considering federal sentencing guidelines.
The case was investigated by the FBI, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration and Homeland Security Investigations, with assistance from the Somerset County Sheriff’s Office.
The prosecution comes amid ongoing concerns about illegal marijuana grow operations in Maine.
Maine’s Total Coverage has previously reported on an increase of unlicensed, Chinese-owned grow houses in rural areas. Law enforcement officials have said many of the potentially hundreds of operations involve out-of-state or foreign nationals and often use residential properties to conceal large-scale cultivation.
Authorities have also raised alarms about the environmental, health and safety risks associated with illegal grow sites, including the use of banned pesticides, electrical hazards and potential links to organized crime.
Federal officials said the case is part of the Homeland Security Task Force initiative, a multi-agency effort aimed at disrupting transnational criminal organizations and other alleged illicit operations in the United States.
The Maine Homeland Security Task Force includes agents from numerous federal and state agencies, with the prosecution led by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Maine.
