Maine man pleads guilty to role in massive marijuana bust

An Auburn man pleaded guilty in Federal Court in Portland on Friday to his role in a major drug bust in 2018.According to court records, on Feb. 27, 2018, law enforcement executed a search warrant at the Auburn home of Brian Bilodeau, 38. During the search, agents seized about 180 pounds of marijuana, four firearms, a money-counting machine, a 2016 Lamborghini Huracan, and a 2014 Nissan GT-R.Agents at the time also searched a warehouse in Auburn used to cultivate marijuana and seized approximately 321 marijuana plants and 181 pounds of marijuana. Prosecutors say this marijuana was cultivated by Bilodeau and others.Bilodeau initially tried to argue that he was cultivating marijuana legally under Maine’s Medical Marijuana Program, but the U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit stated that Bilodeau and others “were knowingly engaged in a large-scale … black-market marijuana operation aimed at supplying marijuana to persons known not to be qualifying patients.” The district court also noted that “he drug ledgers seized from Bilodeau’s residence indicate a sales operation that extended far beyond patient supply consistent with the MMMP.”Bilodeau could face decades in prison when he is sentenced. A sentencing date was not announced.At least three people were charged in connection with the case.

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