Illicit grow broken up amid probe of trend

PORTLAND, Maine — The high electricity consumption of a home, along with its cardboard-covered windows and odor of marijuana, drew law enforcement’s attention to an illicit grow operation off the beaten path in rural Maine.

The bust of the home with a hidden grow operation and seizure of nearly 40 pounds of processed marijuana marked the latest example of what authorities describe as a yearslong trend of foreign nationals exploiting laws in states that have legalized cannabis for recreational or medical use to produce marijuana for illicit U.S. markets.

The Drug Enforcement Administration is investigating international criminal organizations operating illegal marijuana grows in about 20 states, including Maine, Attorney Garland Merrick Garland told the Senate Appropriations Committee last week, in response to a question by Republican Sen. Susan Collins of Maine. Federal law enforcement officials said there are about 100 illicit grow operations in Maine, like the one in Passadumkeag, 60 miles north of Bangor, and 40 search warrants have been issued since June.

In Passadumkeag, Xisen Guo, a naturalized U.S. citizen born in China, has been accused of transforming the house into a high-tech, illicit grow operation, according to court documents unsealed last week.

He was ordered held without bail Friday on federal drug charges, making him the first person to be charged federally in such a case in Maine.

A detention hearing is scheduled Monday.

The state has legalized adult consumption of marijuana, but growers must be licensed.