Marijuana Grow Ring Sentenced in Maine

Three men have been sentenced for their roles in a massive marijuana grow operation in Township 37, Washington County, Maine.

Malcolm French, 54, of Enfield, was sentenced to 175 months in prison, five years of supervised release and a fine of $100,000 for conspiracy to manufacture over 1000 marijuana plants, managing and controlling property used to manufacture marijuana and harboring illegal aliens.

Rodney Russell, 52, of South Thomaston, received a sentence of 151 months in prison and five years of supervised release for the same crimes.

Kendall Chase, 59, of Bradford, was sentenced to five years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of $17,500 for conspiracy to manufacture over 1000 marijuana plants.

The operation, which was seized on September 22, 2009, yielded 2,943 marijuana plants. Haynes Timberland, Inc. was also ordered to pay a $100,000 fine and forfeit $1,550,000, a warehouse compound in Township 31, and a hunting camp in LaGrange that facilitated drug trafficking.

U.S. Attorney Thomas E. Delahanty II praised the dedicated investigators and members of the prosecution team who worked tirelessly on the case for many years.

The case was investigated by the Maine Drug Enforcement Agency, IRS-Criminal Investigation, and Homeland Security Investigations, with assistance from various other law enforcement agencies.