Four Chinese nationals were arrested last week in Iosco County following the discovery of what law enforcement officials are describing as an “organized crime” marijuana operation spanning multiple states with ties to China.
Over 5,000 marijuana plants at various stages of growth worth an estimated $5 million were discovered in an Alabaster Township warehouse after investigators with the Michigan State Police Marijuana and Tobacco Unit executed a search warrant of the facility on May 29.
“Every other square inch of that building had some type of growth, whether it was a clone or a maturing plant, or one with flowering buds,” said Iosco County prosecutor Jim Bacarella, who toured the warehouse. “It was stunning to go through that building… I had to wear a hazmat suit and a respirator because it is still considered a toxic environment.”
According to Bacarella, investigators believe the operation spans across more than one Michigan county. When asked about other operations in Michigan, Bacarella said he was not at liberty to say. A spokesperson for the Michigan State Police did not provide comment on this story.
Once the marijuana was processed in Iosco County, it was transported to the state of New York, Bacarella said, where it would then be sold.
“There are ties back to China,” Bacarella said. “I just can’t discuss that.”
The group had been operating in Iosco County since December 2023. One of the initial inquiries investigators made into the facility, Bacarella said, was related to the amount of electricity it was generating, which totaled around $250,000 for all of 2024.
The facility did not have a state marijuana growing license and was not being tested by the state for pesticides and fertilizers, making it a danger to the public for those who consume it, Bacarella said.
“There’s a greater danger that the marijuana itself is toxic,” he said.
Bacarella has charged the four Chinese nationals, who were in the country legally, with possession with intent to deliver 200 or more marijuana plants and maintaining a drug manufacturing facility.
Three of the defendants, Meiqing Chen, Wenying WU and Changning Zhen, were arraigned in Iosco County District Court on May 30 where they pleaded not guilty to the charges. Elias Muawad has been named the criminal defense lawyer for all three of the accused on Monday afternoon. Muawad told WCMU he is still working to learn all of the details of this case and did not provide further comment.
Possession with intent to deliver more than 200 marijuana plants carries a possible sentence of 15 years in prison while maintaining a drug manufacturing facility carries a possible two-year prison sentence.
The fourth member of the group, Zhenhong Nei, was taken into custody by ICE because they were in the country under an application for asylum, Bacarella said.
“Since we’re within 100 miles of an entry point, which would be the Blue Water Bridge, that person will be subjected to expedited deportation,” Bacarella said.
The Department of Homeland Security did not immediately respond to a request for comment about Nei’s status.
Investigators with the Michigan State Police Marijuana and Tobacco Unit say they found over 5,000 marijuana plants in an Iosco County warehouse worth over $5 million. Authorities say the operation spanned multiple states and has ties to China. Read More
