Police uncover secret cannabis empire ran by New York woman

A New York woman is facing serious trouble after authorities uncovered a hidden cannabis farm she ran in the Maine countryside.

Federal officials say Jiamin Liao admitted in a US District Court in Bangor that she used a rural Maine property to grow and sell marijuana without a licence, reports Bangor Daily News.

According to the US Department of Justice, New York resident Liao bought a house on Thurston Hill Road in Madison not as a quiet retreat, but as a grow site.

When police searched the property in March, they found 551 full grown marijuana plants along with chemicals, advanced equipment used to cultivate cannabis.

Investigators then traced Liao to a second property she owned in nearby Norridgewock. There, authorities seized around 30 pounds of processed marijuana, already prepared for distribution.

Prosecutors say Liao admitted she grew the plants in Madison and packed the marijuana into one pound bundles and stored them at the second location.

The state’s Office of Cannabis Policy confirmed that neither Liao nor her properties held the licences required for marijuana farming in Maine.

Liao is now awaiting sentencing and can be handed down up to 20 years in prison and potential fines of up to $500,000.