REVEALED: Chinese gangs are behind THOUSANDS of illegal weed farms across the US – sparking fears that CCP could become new cannabis kingpins

Chinese gangs have set up thousands of illegal pot farms across the US as they begin to challenge Mexican cartels for supremacy as America’s cannabis barons.

Authorities in Oklahoma, Oregon, California, New Mexico and Maine are all grappling with an increase in the number of Chinese marijuana farms, which some believe are linked to criminal gangs known as “triads.”

The spread appears to be out of control: Police in Penobscot County, Maine, arrested three Chinese nationals at a marijuana farm last week and seized 40 pounds of the drug, along with $4,700 in cash.

It is believed to be one of about 270 illegal pot farms worth more than $4 billion that have sprung up in the state since the drug was legalized in 2020.

Local police have already made several arrests this year.

Meanwhile, about 2,000 “suspicious” marijuana plants in Oklahoma have been linked to China, accounting for two-thirds of the pot farms under surveillance, state narcotics police said. Politics.

Earlier this month, a Chinese leader was sentenced to life in prison after pleading guilty to fatally shooting four people during an illegal medical marijuana operation in Oklahoma.

Mexican cartels have long dominated the U.S. illicit pot market, but officials now warn that Chinese funding for such operations is skyrocketing.

It is not known whether the money comes from groups linked to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), but experts have pointed out that triads are generally only allowed to operate if they agree to act as informal “enforcers” for the government.

Last year, a memo from Homeland Security was leaked the daily caller attributes the growth to Asian Transnational Criminal Organizations (TCOs), with one official raising the possibility of profits being funneled back to Beijing.

Chinese immigrant workers have alleged they were lured to northern New Mexico under false pretenses and forced to work 14-hour days at an illegal marijuana factory backed by money from a China-based energy giant, according to a lawsuit filed last year.

The operation was shut down by police in 2020, but those behind it stuck to Oklahoma and took many of their employees with them, before that farm was also busted in 2022.

The crackdown in southern and western states has been suggested as one of the reasons for the explosion of marijuana farms in Maine.

For years, Maine residents have spoken out about a wave of marijuana-scented homes popping up across the state, including near daycares and schools.

The Chinese owners, who speak little to no English, have reportedly developed a notorious reputation throughout Maine for spending thousands of dollars on equipment cultivation, namely by demanding stuff from their phones.

Homes identified as part of the vast state apparatus appear to be found in mundane, sleepy suburbs, but are said to plague their neighborhoods as a strong odor of marijuana emanates even from a distance and are equipped with extensive electrical improvements.

Experts estimate that a standard 2,500-square-foot home can produce more than $3 million worth of marijuana each year.

Some of the profits are reportedly sent directly back to China, while some of the ill-gotten gains remain in the US to sustain criminal activity.

According to a Maine Wire investigation of 100 of the identified locations, all have been purchased since marijuana was legalized by single Chinese adults, mostly from New York and Massachusetts.

Although the homes are reportedly listed under a single name, many are linked by factors such as car registrations, suggesting they may be linked and controlled by an umbrella organization.

Neighbors say it has become an almost monthly occurrence to see a van with New York or Massachusetts license plates arriving at the pot-filled homes.

In January, Maine authorities raided an illegal Chinese-run marijuana operation in the aptly named town of China in Kennebec County.

The Chinese-owned growing plants have emerged at a time when the US marijuana industry is skyrocketing, opening up multimillion-dollar revenue streams for many, including the Amish community identified in a DailyMail.com survey last year described.

Nationally, Homeland Security has reportedly found a total of 749 properties linked to Asian TCOs, indicating that Maine has become a particular hotbed for CCP activity.

It comes amid growing frustration over law enforcement’s inability to crack down on the illegal operations, with Homeland Security reportedly pleading with Maine police in September to help them gather information about the properties.

“There are hundreds of these operations happening across the state,” Penobscot County Sheriff Troy Morton told the Daily Caller at the time.

“It is disturbing to those who live near these operations, and even to those who follow Maine laws and procedures.”

Those Morton was referring to, especially Maine’s law-abiding pot industry, say the infiltration of “Triad weed” has been a disaster.

“When I say they operate like a mafia, that’s absolutely true,” a legal industry professional told the Maine Wire. ‘They have a very nice network.’

Many in the legal pot industry say they have been forced to become extremely selective to avoid using Chinese-grown marijuana because it has been found to often contain harmful chemicals, including pesticides.

The product’s harmful elements are another example of the struggle law enforcement has faced in combating illegal marijuana grown by illegal immigrants.

“Regardless of where the individuals come from, the real problem involves conflicting state and federal laws,” Morton said. ‘We also have little to no supervision, which means that criminal activities are taking place at a high level.’