U.S. Sen. Susan Collins (R) on Thursday issued her strongest call yet for President Donald Trump and federal law enforcement agencies to dismantle the vast networks of illegal drug and human smuggling operations that have spread throughout rural Maine since Gov. Janet Mills (D) took office in 2019.
During a Senate Appropriations Committee hearing, Collins told Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem implored Noem to prioritize a “whole of government” response to shuttering the more than 270 illicit cannabis sites revealed in a leaked 2023 DHS memo.
That memo, first reported by immigration reporter Jennie Taer, asserted the that cannabis growing operations were helping the criminal networks generate billions of dollars to fund other criminal schemes, as well as the malign activities of the Chinese Communist Party, the cult-like dictatorship that rules over the People’s Republic of China.
Since August of 2023, the Maine Wire has painstakingly identified well over 300 marijuana growing operations owned and operated by out-of-state individuals of Chinese descent, including Chinese foreign nationals, legal immigrants, and illegal aliens.
On May 1, Phillip Lenczycki of the Daily Caller News Foundation published an explosive investigative report partially building off the Maine Wire’s reporting that uncovered undeniable connections between Maine’s black-market Chinese cannabis smugglers and CCP front groups operating within the U.S.
[RELATED: Web Of Illegal Marijuana Grows Tied To Chinese Communist Party Front Group…]
“These grow houses are primarily run by Chinese organized crime syndicates with ties to the Chinese Communist Party,” said Collins, who serves as the committee’s ranking member.
“Our sheriffs and local law enforcement have worked night and day to shut down these grow houses that tend to be located in very rural areas of the state,” said Collins.
Collins added that she hopes President Joe Biden’s upcoming budget request will include additional funding to support state and local efforts to shut down the operations. She also noted that several federal agencies — including the Drug Enforcement Administration, Internal Revenue Service, and Federal Bureau of Investigation — are already involved.
“DHS obviously has an important role to play,” Collins said. “So I hope you will commit today to joining this all-of-government effort to shut down these dangerous, illegal grow houses.”
She warned that the operations likely involve human trafficking and are destroying properties with black mold due to indoor growing. The marijuana, she said, is being smuggled to other states.
“This isn’t just a problem in Maine,” she said. “Some 22 states have similarly found these illegal grow operations with ties to transnational criminal organizations in China.”
Secretary Noem responded by thanking Collins for raising the issue.
“Thank you, Senator Collins, I appreciate you bringing this to my attention and this important discussion,” Noem said. “This is alarming that we have China. Not only are they stealing our IP, manipulating their currency, but they’re building a presence in this country as well.”
Noem pledged to work with Collins to address the threat, adding, “Everything that we can do to make sure that we’re addressing that and not allowing them to get a foothold within the center of our country and in our important states like Maine is incredibly important.”
Collins notably omitted the Maine State Police (MSP) when listing agencies combating illegal cannabis operations. Despite significant media coverage of the foreign-controlled criminal conspiracy, neither Mills nor Mike Sauschuck, the appointed head of the MSP and the Maine Drug Enforcement Agency, has commented on the Chinese criminal activity.
That the leadership of the state police would remain AWOL in the face of a growing threat to public health and national security is all the more mysterious considering public records obtained by the Maine Wire indicate state troopers were aware of marijuana facilities “run by a Chinese gang from [New York]” since early 2021.
2021 Incident report from 57 Conant Rd in Turner
County sheriffs, particularly Somerset County Sheriff Dale Lancaster and Lincoln County Sheriff Todd Brackett, have led nearly all law enforcement actions against these Chinese organized crime factions.
The Maine Wire exclusively reported that Mills’ older brother, Paul Mills, facilitated a “gift exchange” of an illicit, unlicensed marijuana grow to a Chinese national in Guangdong Province, China, but even then Mills issued no comment.
Mills and her Maine Democratic Party allies have faced minimal pressure from legacy media to address the lack of a state-level response to this Chinese organized crime epidemic, as well as the governors business relationship with the criminal organizations. This includes Pulse Marketing’s newspaper arm, the Bangor Daily News, and the George Soros-funded newspapers owned by the Maine Trust for Local News—both of which have secured lucrative no-bid contracts for “public affairs” work since Mills took office.
Mills isn’t the only one who has largely ignored the massive criminal conspiracy currently operating in Maine.
Apart from joining a few written statements issued by Collins, left-wing Sen. Angus King (I), and Democratic Reps. Chellie Pingree and Jared Golden have not made dealing with the black-market cannabis operators a priority.
As chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, and as a Senator which significant leverage over President Trump’s involvement with Congress, Collins’ words will carry weight with the federal government.
Here’s her full exchange with Noem:
COLLINS: Madam Secretary, I want to bring to your attention an important issue that may not yet be, one that you’ve been briefed on. In August of 2023 DHS issued a memo in which the Department stated that it had identified more than 270 Chinese backed illegal marijuana operations in the state of Maine alone, producing up to an estimated $4.3 billion in illicit revenue. These grow houses are primarily run by Chinese organized crime syndicates with ties to the Chinese Communist Party. Our sheriffs and local law enforcement have worked night and day to shut down these grow houses that tend to be located in very rural areas of the state. I hope that the President’s more detailed budget request includes funding that can be used to help supplement the county, state and local law enforcement efforts. DEA has also been involved. IRS has been involved. The FBI is starting to get involved, but DHS obviously has an important role to play. So I hope you will commit today to joining this all of government effort to shut down these dangerous, illegal grow houses. Undoubtedly, there’s human trafficking going on as well. The marijuana is destroying these houses with black mold, because it’s grown inside to try to hide what is going on and it’s being smuggling, smuggled to other states. This isn’t just a problem in Maine, some 22 states have similarly found these illegal grow operations with ties to transnational criminal organizations in China.
NOEM: Thank you, Senator Collins, I appreciate you bringing this to my attention and this important discussion. Obviously, we’re very concerned with securing our border and knowing who’s coming into our country illegally, but also who’s already here, and so you pointing out the fact that we have investments in this country, businesses and marijuana grow houses that have a presence of ties to the PRC is incredibly alarming. So I agree that we should work together to see what we can do. As you know, the Department of Homeland Security, our mission is to secure the homeland. I tell people quite often that my responsibility lies with everyone who’s in this country comes into this country or leaves, every product that’s here that leaves or comes in, and then everything on the internet as well that’s communicated or processed. This is alarming that we have China. Not only are they stealing our IP, manipulating their currency, but they’re building a presence in this country as well, and so everything that we can do to make sure that we’re addressing that and not allowing them to to get a foothold within the center of our country and in our important states like Manor is incredibly important. So thank you for for bringing it to the attention of everyone today, and I commit to working with you.
More on Triad Weed from TheMaineWire.com:
U.S. Sen. Susan Collins (R) on Thursday issued her strongest call yet for President Donald Trump and federal law enforcement agencies to dismantle the vast networks of illegal drug and human smuggling operations that have spread throughout rural Maine since Gov. Janet Mills (D) took office in 2019. During a Senate Appropriations Committee hearing, Collins Read More
