Eight Chinese nationals have been indicted on felony charges after investigators discovered massive indoor marijuana growing operations in rural South Georgia.
All eight defendants are charged with Conspiracy to Possess with Intent to Distribute and to Distribute and Possession with Intent to Distribute more than 1,000 marijuana plants, said Jill E. Steinberg, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Georgia. Conviction on those charges carries a minimum penalty of 10 years in prison, up to life, along with fines of up to $10 million and at least five years of supervised release upon completion of any prison term. There is no parole in the federal system.
“This investigation alleges the discovery of a massive clandestine operation illegally growing marijuana on two locations hidden in plain sight,” said U.S. Attorney Steinberg. “Our exceptional law enforcement partners identified these illicit operations and are working to hold these defendants accountable.”
As described in court documents and in initial court hearings, the investigation identified two large-scale indoor marijuana growing facilities on two tracts of land in Pierce and Brantley Counties.
The defendants indicted in USA v. Huang et al. all are Chinese nationals, including:
- Hiawen Huang, 54;
- Yim Hung Yuen,61;
- Chen Hui Shu, 35;
- Jen Peng Ma, 34;
- Zhu Sheng Bing, 64;
- Wei Sheng Deng, 42;
- Lecai Huang, 67; and,
- Zhi Yong Ma, 52.
In addition to the conspiracy and drug possession charges, Shu, Ma, Bing, and Deng also are charged with Possession of Firearm in Furtherance of a Drug Trafficking Crime. Similarly, Lecai Huang and Ma are charged with a separate count of Possession of Firearms in Furtherance of a Drug Trafficking Crime.
Hiawen Huang and Yim Hung Yuen are believed to have left the United States. The remaining defendants have made their initial appearance hearings in U.S. Magistrate Court and await further court proceedings.
Criminal indictments contain only charges; defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
The case was initiated by the Pierce County Sheriff’s Office and also investigated by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration and the Brantley County Sheriff’s Office and is being prosecuted for the United States by Southern District of Georgia Assistant U.S. Attorneys Patricia G. Rhodes and Darron J. Hubbard.