DEA - GOP Senator Presses Antony Blinken On Illicit Cannabis Operations Linked To Chinese Organized Crime Groups Sec Of State Defers To DEA | Benzinga
Republican Senator Susan Collins is pushing the federal government to do more to crack down on illegal marijuana growing operations in Maine. She took her request to Secretary of State Antony Blinken.
There is a need for federal support for Maine law enforcement as they work to shut down illegal cannabis operations, Collins says.
Illegal cannabis operations are all over the northern two-thirds of the state, she says.
Collins Wants Answers From Blinken And Help From The Feds
The senator questioned Blinken last week at a hearing to review the Fiscal Year 2025 budget. She told the committee that illegal operations in Maine pose a national security and public health risk.
"According to the Drug Enforcement Administration's (DEA) 2024 assessment, there's been a notable uptick in the number of illicit marijuana cultivation sites linked to Chinese ...