Malcolm French, Marijuana Grow, Maine 2009

Three men, Malcolm French, 54, of Enfield; Rodney Russell, 52, of South Thomaston; and Kendall Chase, 59, of Bradford, were sentenced for their roles in a massive marijuana grow operation in Township 37, Washington County, Maine.

The men were arrested on February 10, 2009, after a joint investigation by the Maine Drug Enforcement Agency (MDEA), IRS-Criminal Investigation, and Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) uncovered a marijuana grow operation with 2,943 plants.

French 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 was sentenced to 151 months in prison and five years of supervised release for conspiracy to manufacture over 1000 marijuana plants, managing and controlling property used to manufacture marijuana and harboring illegal aliens.

Kendall Chase 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 investigation also resulted in the sentencing of Haynes Timberland, Inc. to pay a $100,000 fine for managing and controlling property used to manufacture marijuana. French and Haynes Timberland were also ordered to forfeit $1,550,000 and a warehouse compound in Township 31 and a hunting camp in LaGrange.

U.S. Attorney Thomas E. Delahanty II praised the investigative team for their efforts in bringing the case to a successful conclusion.

Source: https://www.justice.gov/usao-me/pr/sentences-imposed-township-37-marijuana-grow-case