A massive marijuana grow was uncovered on Wednesday in a residence at 2509 Auburn Road in Turner. The discovery was made by firefighters and Androscoggin County deputies after a report of smoke emanating from the building turned out to be steam, officials clarified.
TURNER — In a significant operation on Wednesday, law enforcement confiscated an estimated 2,500 marijuana plants from a residence.
A report of smoke from the eaves of a house at 2509 Auburn Road was made to 911 dispatchers late Wednesday morning. Upon arrival, Androscoggin County Sheriff’s deputies along with firefighters found that the suspected smoke was in fact steam rising from an extensive marijuana cultivation operation inside the residence, as detailed in a sheriff’s office Facebook post on Thursday.
“Initial assessments suggested the presence of around 500 marijuana plants and various cultivation equipment such as grow lights, chemical fertilizers, dehumidifiers, and propane heaters,” the post indicated.
Following the discovery, the Maine Office of Cannabis Policy was alerted and sent an investigator to the site, the announcement mentioned.
The investigation revealed that there were no official records of a license issued for the cultivation at 2509 Auburn Road or to the homeowner, identified as a resident of Massachusetts,” the statement read.
A search warrant was promptly obtained and executed at the property owned by Liming Yu of Quincy, Massachusetts, as per the Turner tax records. Yu has been registered as the owner since April 21, 2021.
While approximately 2,500 plants were seized, no arrests have yet been reported, the update confirmed.
The case remains under active investigation.
Authorities are currently investigating whether this operation is connected to other illegal marijuana cultivation activities that have been recently uncovered in Lincoln, Kennebec, and Somerset counties,” the announcement concluded.
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