Federal authorities announced Tuesday that seven Chinese nationals have been charged in connection with a sprawling, multi-million dollar marijuana trafficking conspiracy operating out of Massachusetts and Maine. The Justice Department said the black-market operation, active since at least January 2020, trafficked kilogram quantities of marijuana and used residential properties across the Northeast as covert grow houses.
“This case pulls back the curtain on a sprawling criminal enterprise that exploited our immigration system and our communities for personal gain,” said U.S. Attorney Leah Foley. “These defendants allegedly turned quiet homes across the Northeast into hubs for a criminal enterprise — building a multi-million-dollar black-market operation off the backs of an illegal workforce and using our neighborhoods as cover. That ends today.”
Those charged include Jianxiong Chen, 39; Yuxiong Wu, 36; Dinghui Li, 38; Dechao Ma, 35; Peng Lian Zhu, 35; Hongbin Wu, 35; and Yanrong Zhu, 47. According to prosecutors, Yanrong Zhu remains a fugitive while the others are in federal custody.
The defendants face charges of conspiracy to manufacture, distribute, and possess with intent to distribute marijuana. Several also face charges of money laundering. Authorities identified Chen as the alleged mastermind, further charging him with smuggling individuals into the U.S. through Mexico and forcing them to work in the illegal grow houses until their smuggling debts were repaid.
“These workers had their passports confiscated and were forced into servitude under threat,” said FBI Special Agent Ted Docks.
Authorities executed raids at properties in Braintree, Melrose, and Greenfield, Massachusetts. In Braintree alone, investigators seized over $270,000 in cash, a Porsche, multiple Chinese passports, and fraudulent IDs from a safe at Chen’s residence. Additional seizures included 109 kilograms of marijuana, nearly $200,000 in cash, and luxury items like a $65,000 Rolex watch.
The case reflects a broader pattern of Chinese-backed marijuana operations emerging across the U.S., with major busts in states like New Mexico and Maine. Border Patrol has identified more than 270 illegal grow operations in Maine alone, valued in the billions. Congressional lawmakers have voiced growing concern, citing national security implications tied to these illicit networks.
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