‘GUiLTY’ Verdict! Berkshire County’s Significant Marijuana Grow Operation Ends in Conviction for Two Men
SAVOY, Mass. – Following the discovery of over 1,400 marijuana plants inside a Berkshire County home that was consuming an excessive amount of power, two men from New York were found guilty of marijuana trafficking.
In the Berkshires, a multimillion dollar illicit marijuana growing operation was found.
The 52-year-old Dem Wu of Staten Island was also found guilty of marijuana trafficking in 100 pounds or more but less than 2,000 pounds, according to the Berkshire District Attorney’s Office.
On Monday, Yebin Mai, 32, of Staten Island, New York, was found guilty of both witness intimidation and marijuana trafficking in 100 pounds or more but less than 2,000 pounds.
On July 30, 2020, Mai from a nearby residence accosted two Eversource linemen who were trying to resolve an electrical issue on Jackson Road in Savoy.
The Eversource lineman could not comprehend Mai because of his inadequate command of the English language. Mai was upset and gave them an envelope containing $600 when the workers informed him they had to switch off his power so they could inspect the electric meter in the house and make repairs.
When the linemen attempted to return it to Mai, he refused. They contacted the State Police and fled the property at that point.
As Mai, Wu, and a fellow passenger tried to drive away in a pickup truck with New York license plates, a trooper and an Eversource supervisor showed there. The soldier, however, stopped them so that the house could be inspected further by the workers.
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Upon inspection, the team discovered four shoddy-built meters on the house’s side, melted wiring, signs of a minor fire, the sounds of fans operating within, and the aroma of recently harvested marijuana. According to Eversource, the home’s monthly electric bill was $10,000, which is significantly more than the usual bill for homeowners.
After being questioned, Mai and Wu were eventually permitted to depart. When troopers and DEA agents executed a search warrant on the house the following day, they discovered the following contents inside:
1,410 marijuana plants totaling 560 pounds in weight, Tools for cultivation, hydroponic chemicals, growing materials, pumps and troughs for water, Growing lights using fluorescent bulbs, sleeping and kitchen quarters for occupants.
District Attorney Timothy Shugrue said in documents including Mai and Wu’s identifying information, “People who live in remote, smaller towns in the Berkshires often do so to be surrounded by nature and privacy.”
It can be unsettling and dangerous to run a marijuana grow among gullible neighbors in a small town like Savory. Law enforcement’s prompt response and thorough investigation made it possible to end the illegal narcotics enterprise peacefully.
Former DA Andrea Harrington offered the guys a plea bargain before to their trial, but they turned it down.
They eventually asked to accept the plea agreement, but Shugrue—the newly appointed District Attorney—decided the plea was insufficient given the gravity of their offenses and proceeded with the trial instead.