Five Chinese defendants charged separately with operating illegal marijuana processing operations have a tentative docket call Tuesday, Jan. 28 in Lincoln County Unified Criminal Court in Wiscasset.

A previous docket call for Nov. 26 was postponed due to a lack of interpreters. Court officials reported they are seeking interpreters for the Jan. 28 court date.

Appearing in court will be Zhen Chen, Weihuan Liu, Huan Ying Li, Mingda Li and Dingzhan Liao. Chen, 45, of New York City was charged last winter with cultivating marijuana, a Class B crime. In court documents, Lincoln County Sheriff’s Det. Matthew Ryan identified Chen through the suspect’s New York State driver’s license, and later discovered his name was on the house deed. On Jan. 10, a search team found over 500 marijuana plants with items needed for cultivation.

Liu, 41, of Brooklyn, New York was arrested during a raid at 91 Jefferson Road in Whitefield. Law enforcement reported seizing more than 700 plants and 40 pounds of processed marijuana. He was charged with unlawful trafficking of scheduled drugs and cultivating marijuana, both Class B crimes. 

Huan Ying Li, 57, formerly of New York City, was arrested during a raid at 333 North Howe Road in Whitefield. A police report shows nearly 30 pounds of processed marijuana seized. According to Lincoln County property records, Li purchased the property in November 2019. She was charged with trafficking more than 20 pounds of  scheduled drugs (marijuana), a Class B felony. 

Mingda Li, 41, of Brooklyn, New York was arrested at 754 Cooper Road in Chelsea after the seizure of 900 plants. Li was charged with two counts of cultivating marijuana (more than 900 pounds), according to court records. Unlawful cultivating of marijuana is a Class B offense.

Liao was charged with two counts of unlawful trafficking of scheduled drugs and cultivating marijuana.