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On Monday, Jan. 11, around 8 a.m., police responded to a report of a possible fire with smoke coming out from the eaves of a roof at 24 West St. in Belchertown.
When firefighters entered the home to investigate, they allegedly found a large-scale marijuana growing operation, WesternMass News is reporting. After obtaining a search warrant, law enforcement allegedly seized more than 800 marijuana plants, growing equipment, and $2,500.
Huoqiu Qu, 60, and Can Hui Wu, 57, both of Brooklyn, New York, were arrested and charged with cultivating marijuana, conspiracy to violate drug laws, and possession with intent to distribute a Class D substance.
TREND
If this story seems familiar it’s because three other large-scale marijuana growing operations allegedly run by men from Brooklyn were recently discovered in Western Mass.
In November, more than 3,000 weed plants were found growing inside a West Springfield commercial building. Police arrested four men from Brooklyn - Men Kong Xing, Min Zhang, Gen Yu, and Jiang Nan - in connection with the illegal grow.
In August, police busted up a two-town cannabis cultivation operation in Palmer and Monson. Altogether, five sites were searched and an alleged 4,000 marijuana plants were seized. Two men - one from Brooklyn, Li Qin Li, and the other from Chicago, Weighing Li - were arrested in connection with the bust.
In July, a suspiciously large amount of power being used at a Savoy residence led to the discovery of a marijuana growing operation worth more than $3 million. In that case, a Brooklyn man, Bin Huang, and a man from Staten Island, Yebin Mai, were arrested. Later on, Weighing Li and Li Qin Li - the same men who were arrested in the Palmer-Monson bust - were charged in connection with the Savoy grow, as well.
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