A 49-year-old Buena man, Hui Chen, has admitted running a large indoor marijuana grow out of a local home, telling a judge on Tuesday that authorities were right when they said they found hundreds of plants inside.
Police had already laid out the scope of the operation. During a January 30, 2025 search of the Buena house, officers seized 728 marijuana plants, according to prosecutors. Sentencing is set for May 11 in Atlantic County Superior Court.
Plea and sentence recommendation
According to the Atlantic County Prosecutor's Office, Chen pleaded guilty to first-degree maintaining a controlled dangerous substance production facility and second-degree conspiracy to distribute controlled dangerous substances.
Under the plea deal, the state will recommend a six-year term in New Jersey State Prison. Prosecutors say Chen will remain detained until sentencing.
Search warrant and seizure
Local coverage of the case reports that officers served a search warrant at the home and found the full 728-plant indoor grow inside, identifying the address as 147 Fursin Avenue in Buena. 97.3 ESPN carried the prosecutor's account after the county posted its public release.
What the charges carry
Under New Jersey law, a first-degree crime typically carries an ordinary prison range of 10 to 20 years, with a presumptive term of 15 years, although judges weigh aggravating and mitigating factors before deciding on a final sentence. Justia publishes New Jersey case law and statutes that spell out those ranges. Plea agreements, like the one in Chen's case, often reduce a defendant's exposure from the statutory maximum.
Local enforcement trend
Authorities say this bust is not a one-off for the borough. In a separate 2024 investigation, law enforcement seized more than 4,000 marijuana plants from several Buena properties, underscoring how many large, covert indoor grows have cropped up in the area. Breaking AC reported that earlier probe, detailing the industrial lighting and ventilation systems that had been installed inside those homes.
Chen has been held at the Atlantic County Justice Facility since February 24, 2025. He is scheduled to appear for sentencing on May 11 before the Honorable Donna M. Taylor in Atlantic County Superior Court, according to the Atlantic County Prosecutor's Office.
