HARMONY — The Somerset County Sheriff’s Office executed a drug search warrant Tuesday, April 1, at a residence on South Road in Harmony, where authorities discovered an illegal marijuana cultivation operation.
The search warrant was executed by a team including five sheriff’s office detectives, three patrol deputies, and agents from multiple federal agencies including U.S. Border Patrol, Drug Enforcement Administration, FBI, and Homeland Security Investigations.
Detectives from the Waterville Police Department and investigators from the Maine Office of Cannabis Policy also assisted in the operation.
Two Massachusetts men were found inside the residence and taken into custody.
Authorities seized 1,405 growing marijuana plants, approximately 100 pounds of processed marijuana, a 9mm pistol, ammunition, $1,600 in suspected drug proceeds, a 2017 Toyota Sienna van, and other drug-related materials.
Wenfeng Chen, 51, of Malden, Massachusetts, was arrested and charged with Cultivation of Marijuana (Class B) and Unlawful Trafficking in Scheduled Drugs (Class B).
Xinwen Zhang, 71, of Boston, Massachusetts, faces identical charges.
Both men had bail set at $10,000 cash and are scheduled to appear in Somerset County Unified Criminal Court on July 9 at 8:30 a.m.
The charges against both men were elevated due to the cultivation of over 500 marijuana plants and possession of more than 20 pounds of marijuana.
This marks the second raid at the same property, following a May 2024 operation where authorities seized over 1,200 marijuana plants and approximately 25 pounds of processed marijuana.
Additional charges may be forthcoming against Chen, Zhang and others once the cases are reviewed by the Somerset County District Attorney’s Office and the United States Attorney’s Office.
Since January 2024, the Somerset County Sheriff’s Office Criminal Division has executed 24 drug search warrants related to illegal marijuana operations across multiple towns in the county.
The operations have resulted in 15 arrests of individuals from Maine, New York, Massachusetts, California, and Washington State.
To date, authorities have seized approximately 30,000 marijuana plants, 500 pounds of processed marijuana, $51,000 in cash, and six motor vehicles in connection with these investigations.
