3 facing charges in connection with 4 marijuana grow houses in Braintree, Quincy, and Westford
"Dangerous chemicals and faulty wiring are often used to set up these sites and most often the homes are not lived in."
Marijuana may be legal in Massachusetts, but that doesn’t mean growing dozens of pot plants in different houses is.Three people are facing charges in connection with home-grow operations in four different homes spread out between Braintree, Quincy, and Westford, according to Braintree police. Xu Feng Wang, 30, of Boston, was arrested at 350 Shaw St., Braintree, and is being charged with trafficking a class D substance (marijuana) and conspiracy to violate the drug laws. He was planned to be arraigned on Thursday, police said.A 48-year-old Quincy man will be charged with trafficking a class D substance (marijuana), subsequent offense, and a 23-year-old Quincy woman will face a trafficking a class D substance (marijuana) charge, according to officials.Braintree officials began investigating 350 Shaw St. in December as a possible grow house and that led them to the other three homes — 360 Belmont St. and 16 Newport Terrace, both in Quincy, and 75 Tenney Road, Westford.Police obtained search warrants for all four places, and, on Wednesday, they were executed with the help of other law enforcement agencies.Enough marijuana was found in the homes to surpass the weight limit needed for a trafficking charge, police said. Pictures from within one of the homes shows rows of what appear to be marijuana plants, both small and large.“These unregulated home grow operations can create a serious public safety hazard for several reasons,” police said. “Dangerous chemicals and faulty wiring are often used to set up these sites and most often the homes are not lived in. Additionally they create prime atmosphere for black mold to form and flourish.”Growing marijuana within a home is allowed in Massachusetts, but is limited to 6 plants per person and 12 plants per household. Along with Braintree police, Quincy, Westford, and Holbrook police assisted, along with Massachusetts State Police, the FBI task force, and the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration task force.
