The trial of a man charged in connection with an illegal marijuana grow in Skowhegan has been called off after he left the U.S. to return to China, according to WGME. Yao Bin Cheng’s attorney told a judge that his client recently returned to China and does not plan to come back to the U.S.
The judge responded by issuing a no-bail arrest warrant for Cheng. The judge also ordered Cheng to forfeit the $10,000 in cash bail he had posted.
Officials raided a home on Waterville Road and seized nearly 5,000 cannabis plants, according to WGME.
The Somerset County Sheriff’s Office released images showing more than 4,000 marijuana plants seized from the illegal grow site. The raid targeted a single residential property on Waterville Road.
The scale of the seizure made the case one of the larger illegal grow operations uncovered in the area. The plants were removed from the site during the enforcement action.
Cheng faces felony drug trafficking and marijuana cultivation charges should he ever return to the U.S., WGME reports. The charges have not been dismissed despite the trial being called off.
The no-bail arrest warrant remains active. If Cheng re-enters the country, he would be subject to arrest under that warrant.
The $10,000 cash bail he posted will be forfeited under the judge’s order. The case now sits unresolved, with the defendant outside the reach of the U.S. court system.
The attorney stated Cheng does not plan to return to the U.S.
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