BANGOR, Maine — A man in Maine is facing a federal charge after authorities said he ran an illegal marijuana growing operation at a house in Penobscot County.
Xisen Guo, 67, is the first person to be prosecuted in a sprawling investigation that has seen federal agents from the FBI, DEA, and Department of Homeland Security raid homes in rural Maine suspected of housing large-scale marijuana operations with possible connections to Chinese criminal organizations.
When Guo was arrested in February, police said they found nearly 40 pounds of cannabis and "sophisticated lighting systems" at the Passadumkeag residence, according to a federal affidavit that was unsealed last week.
At the time, Guo was charged with drug trafficking. Several weeks later, federal prosecutors filed a charge of maintaining a drug-involved premises, which carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison.
Timothy Zerillo, Guo's attorney, said his client plans to plead not guilty.
“We deny the charges wholeheartedly,” Zerillo said Monday.
The charges against Guo come as Maine’s congressional delegation presses the federal government to take action against illicit marijuana facilities—of which there are around 100 in the state, according to Maine U.S. Attorney Darcie McElwee.
Last week, Sen. Susan Collins pressed Attorney General Merrick Garland before the Senate Appropriations Committee.
"What are the Criminal Division, the National Security Division, and the U.S. Attorney’s office in Maine doing to address these illegal growing operations?” Collins asked.
“I don’t think anyone could take this more seriously than our U.S. attorney there," Garland responded.
Speaking after Guo’s detention hearing Monday, Assistant U.S. Attorney Andrew Lizotte said his office is “continuing to look for cases with a federal interest to advance.”
Lizotte declined to comment on whether he believes Guo is part of a larger criminal group. Zerillo said he doesn't have "any indication that he is involved in anything like that."
"Thwarting this activity is a priority for the U.S. Attorney’s Office and for the Department of Justice. ... We will continue to marshal every tool at our disposal in this effort as appropriate," McElwee wrote in a statement Monday.
Guo will be released from custody Tuesday morning on strict conditions, including having location monitoring and a curfew, as the case continues.