IOSCO CO., Mich. (WNEM) – Four Chinese nationals, who were in the country legally, were charged with possession with intent to deliver 200 or more marijuana plants and maintaining a drug manufacturing facility, according to Iosco County Prosecuting Attorney James A. Bacarella.
On May 29, a warehouse located in Alabaster Township, Iosco County was searched under warrant by troopers from the Marijuana and Tobacco Investigations Section of the Michigan State Police, said Bacarella. Investigators found 5,057 marijuana plants inside the warehouse. The monetary value of the plants is estimates to be over $5 million.
Bacarella said during further investigation at an apartment, law enforcement found evidence that tied four people to the operation – Meiqing Chen, Zhenhong Nei, Wenying We and Changning Zhen.
Police found the four traveling in an associated vehicle southbound on US-23 in Iosco County. Their GPS was set to an address in New York state, seemingly fleeing the area, said Bacarella.
The operation appears to be part of a larger operation involving organized crime that spans several states and China, said Bacarella.
Meiqing Chen, Wenying We, and Changning Zhen have not plead guilty to the charges, the prosecutor’s office said, adding Zhenhong Nei was taken into custody by ICE, but has not been arraigned on his charges.
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Four Chinese nationals were charged with possession with intent to deliver 200 or more marijuana plants and maintaining a drug manufacturing facility. Read More
