What began as an investigation into a shooting in Baltimore has grown into a superseding indictment for drug trafficking, conspiracy, and money laundering that now includes at least two Chinese nationals with ties to cannabis cartels operating in Maine.
— The Maine Wire (@TheMaineWire) August 18, 2026
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What began as an investigation into a shooting in Baltimore has grown into a superseding indictment for drug trafficking, conspiracy, and money laundering that now includes at least two Chinese nationals with ties to cannabis cartels operating in Maine.
Zebin Liu, a Chinese national who held a Maine medical-cannabis caregiver license and operated a Gardiner grow under the name Liu Garden LLC, is a charged defendant in a 17-person Maryland marijuana-distribution and money-laundering case, according to court records reviewed by the Maine Wire.
The case — U.S. v. Tao — is one of two high-profile federal indictments for money laundering and conspiracy tied to Maine’s sprawling network of Chinese cannabis grows.
Last year, seven Chinese nationals were indicted in the District of Massachusetts on similar charges: trafficking illicit cannabis out of Maine and laundering the proceeds.
In Maryland, prosecutors say Can Quan Xu, who went by “Shawn,” ran the New York hub that took Maryland drug cash, laundered it or moved it, and then paid the supply chain of growers and traffickers.
Federal agents arrested Liu, also known as Ben, on Staten Island on Sept. 24, 2024 on suspicions that he worked directly for Xu as part of the drug trafficking and money laundering conspiracy. Court records say he was paid to receive shipments, package and distribute marijuana, and move bulk cash.
The complaint says Liu referred to Can Xu as his “boss.”
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