More than 40 arrested in largest black-market marijuana bust in Colorado history

[Teh One Who Knocks]

Stephanie Butzer - Denver 7 News


https://i.imgur.com/i6jQH4a.jpg
Pic Unrelated

DENVER — A total of 42 people were arrested in three days after during one of the largest black-market marijuana enforcement actions in Colorado’s history, according to the leaders of the joint investigation.

The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, 18th Judicial District Attorney’s Office and 17th Judicial District Attorney’s Office made the announcement Friday morning.

READ MORE: Suspected illegal marijuana grows raided from Brighton to Castle Rock

The investigation began in 2016, when North Metro Task Force investigators began investigating a network of marijuana cultivators who were involved in the distribution of large amounts of marijuana. The grows were found in the basements of newer homes in “fairly upscale neighborhoods,” according to Department of Justice.

Law enforcement conducted multiple searches this week and started to make arrests on Wednesday. As of Friday morning, of those arrested, 26 were state defendants and 16 were federal defendants, according to the Department of Justice.

The federal defendants who were charged with offenses involving 100 or more marijuana plants will face a minimum mandatory sentence of five years in prison. The maximum sentence is 40 years.

Those charged with offenses involving 1,000 or more of the marijuana plants will face a minimum sentence of 10 years and up to a maximum of life in prison.

Over the past two years, more than 250 locations, including eight businesses, were searched related to this case, including:


120 in Adams County
63 in Arapahoe County
22 in Weld County
22 in Douglas County
17 in Jefferson County
7 in Denver County
3 in El Paso County
1 in Broomfield County

In total, more than 80,000 marijuana plants and 4,500 pounds of finished marijuana products were seized from those locations, according to the Department of Justice.

The marijuana in these locations were destined for the black market, which has increased in Colorado in recent years, according to the Department of Justice.

“Colorado has become the epicenter of black-market marijuana in the United States,” said United States Attorney Jason Dunn. “It’s impacting communities, it’s impacting neighborhoods, and it’s impacting public safety. But this investigation may be just the tip of the iceberg. We will therefore continue to pursue black market growers and prosecute them to the full extent of the law.”

This case was investigated by the North Metro Task Force, the DEA, the 18th Judicial District Attorney and the 17th Judicial District Attorney. They had support from the following agencies:


U.S. Marshals Service
Federal Bureau of Investigation
Homeland Security Investigations
Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives
Internal Revenue Service
West Metro Drug Task Force
Front Range Task Force
Thornton Police Department
Westminster Police Department
Adams County Sheriff
Broomfield Police Department
Commerce City Police Department
Northglenn Police Department
Brighton Police Department
Federal Heights Police Department
Aurora Police Department
Jefferson County Sheriff
Arapahoe County Sheriff
Arvada Police Department
Wheat Ridge Police Department
Golden Police Department
Lakewood Police Department
Denver Police Department
Weld County Sheriff
Firestone Police Department
Frederick Police Department
Parker Police Department
Castle Rock Police Department
Colorado Bureau of Investigation
Douglas County Sheriff
Mountain View Police Department
Englewood Police Department,
Colorado Attorney General’s Office
Colorado State Patrol
Colorado Springs Police Department
Fort Collins Police Department,
National Guard
Pueblo Police Department
El Paso County Sheriff
Pueblo County Sheriff
Teller County Sheriff
Longmont Police Department
High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area

[Teh One Who Knocks]

Wait, wait, wait...we were told that legalization would put an end to all of this illegal growing. Were we lied to about that too? :shock:


:roll:

[Goofy]

"Joint investigation"

*snigger*

[lost in melb.]

Wait, wait, wait...we were told that legalization would put an end to all of this illegal growing. Were we lied to about that too? :shock:


:roll:

Chill dude. It'll all be OK :bong:

[Teh One Who Knocks]

https://i.imgur.com/2PbsQgL.png Increased crime, especially violent crime

https://i.imgur.com/2PbsQgL.png A crap load of beggars/homeless coming to the city

https://i.imgur.com/2PbsQgL.png Increase in illegal grow operations

https://i.imgur.com/2PbsQgL.png Licensed pot shops breaking the law

https://i.imgur.com/2PbsQgL.png Colorado becoming know for weed and only weed


It's all coming up roses :tup:

[Teh One Who Knocks]

Another fatal shooting downtown this morning being reported :cheers:

[Pony]

Another fatal shooting downtown this morning being reported :cheers:

Because of weed?

[Teh One Who Knocks]

Who knows, violent crime as a whole has gone up sharply since legalization, so indirectly, probably.

[Pony]

Somehow I'm sure it's still the fault of the Right. Because the Lefts policies couldn't possibly end with any result but utopia.

[Muddy]

Id like to have access to quality legal marijuana products.. You cant help the illegal portion.. I work off of I-95 which is the major East coast highway that runs from Florida to Maine.. Cigarettes are legal here and are relatively low taxed.. It's not low taxed drug in New York.. A pack of smokes can run you $10.00 I hear. I can not stop into a gas station around here and not see someone buying 10 cartons of cigarettes down here to go up North and unload.. Highly illegal, and once you start running trucks of them up North the crime gets involved.. It's a major offense over here.. The biggest offense though? They are circumventing the governments ability to skim more money out of our pockets so they can waste the shit on something retarded.. So why is there crime associated with it? It's not the drug.. It's the government trying to hold it hostage. That's where the criminals come in.. To circumvent, to capitalize.

[Pony]

When I head down south to visit my Aunt I always come back with a couple cartons of smokes.

[Teh One Who Knocks]

Id like to have access to quality legal marijuana products.. You cant help the illegal portion.. I work off of I-95 which is the major East coast highway that runs from Florida to Maine.. Cigarettes are legal here and are relatively low taxed.. It's not low taxed drug in New York.. A pack of smokes can run you $10.00 I hear. I can not stop into a gas station around here and not see someone buying 10 cartons of cigarettes down here to go up North and unload.. Highly illegal, and once you start running trucks of them up North the crime gets involved.. It's a major offense over here.. The biggest offense though? They are circumventing the governments ability to skim more money out of our pockets so they can waste the shit on something retarded.. So why is there crime associated with it? It's not the drug.. It's the government trying to hold it hostage. That's where the criminals come in.. To circumvent, to capitalize.

Of course there's always going to be crime involved if there's money to be made. I lived in Vermont for a long time right up against the Canadian border. Cigarettes in Quebec were heavily taxed and VERY expensive, and this was 25 years ago. They used to run trucks all the time trying to sneak cigarettes across the border because they were probably about 1/4 of the cost in Vermont versus getting them in Quebec.

HOWEVER...to get marijuana legalized in this state, the pro pot people promised all kinds of things, and one of them was that the crime angle was a 'boogeyman' used by the anti-pot people and that it would in fact LOWER the crime rate, not increase it. And since legalization, we've already had one pot shop chain busted and shut down for illegally selling more than they are allowed to sell to individuals, we've had more fucking beggars and homeless people show up ( they're on every major street corner now, even in the 'burbs which there never was before), there is A LOT of gun violence in Denver now over the past 5 or so years (of course nowhere on the scale of Chicago or NYC, but we're not nearly as big as those cities either) compared to before legalization. And just violent crime in general has gone up all over the city. I never used to be nervous about going anywhere in Denver, now there are parts of the city I would never go to after dark being a white skinned person because of the gangs. And 2 of the 3 major drug busts since legalization have happened in and around the suburb that I live in.

But I dunno, what do I know, I've just lived here for the past 25 years.

[Hal-9000]

Another fatal shooting downtown this morning being reported :cheers:

You sure that wasn't a result of no BBQ sauce at the drive-thru? There are other reasons for shootings :rolleyes:

[Muddy]

Of course there's always going to be crime involved if there's money to be made. I lived in Vermont for a long time right up against the Canadian border. Cigarettes in Quebec were heavily taxed and VERY expensive, and this was 25 years ago. They used to run trucks all the time trying to sneak cigarettes across the border because they were probably about 1/4 of the cost in Vermont versus getting them in Quebec.

HOWEVER...to get marijuana legalized in this state, the pro pot people promised all kinds of things, and one of them was that the crime angle was a 'boogeyman' used by the anti-pot people and that it would in fact LOWER the crime rate, not increase it. And since legalization, we've already had one pot shop chain busted and shut down for illegally selling more than they are allowed to sell to individuals, we've had more fucking beggars and homeless people show up ( they're on every major street corner now, even in the 'burbs which there never was before), there is A LOT of gun violence in Denver now over the past 5 or so years (of course nowhere on the scale of Chicago or NYC, but we're not nearly as big as those cities either) compared to before legalization. And just violent crime in general has gone up all over the city. I never used to be nervous about going anywhere in Denver, now there are parts of the city I would never go to after dark being a white skinned person because of the gangs. And 2 of the 3 major drug busts since legalization have happened in and around the suburb that I live in.

But I dunno, what do I know, I've just lived here for the past 25 years.

I dont want to be told by the government what I can or cant do.. There are going to be people that run amok, but why should their bad decisions affect my ability to make one for myself..?

[Teh One Who Knocks]

I dont want to be told by the government what I can or cant do.. There are going to be people that run amok, but why should their bad decisions affect my ability to make one for myself..?

Then do what you want? The government tells you that stealing is illegal. They tell you it's illegal to drive faster than the speed limit. They tell you that beating your kids is illegal. They tell you that hunting without a license is illegal. They tell you that drinking and driving is illegal. So why not everyone do what they want instead? Let everyone make their own decisions.

[Muddy]

Then do what you want? The government tells you that stealing is illegal. They tell you it's illegal to drive faster than the speed limit. They tell you that beating your kids is illegal. They tell you that hunting without a license is illegal. They tell you that drinking and driving is illegal. So why not everyone do what they want instead? Let everyone make their own decisions.

We're talking about a little herb here.. Every thing you listed affects someone else..

[Teh One Who Knocks]

We're talking about a little herb here.. Every thing you listed affects someone else..

Prostitution is illegal almost everywhere in this country. Gambling is illegal almost everywhere in this country. Cocaine and heroin and crack and meth and many other drugs are illegal in this country.

[Muddy]

Prostitution is illegal almost everywhere in this country. Gambling is illegal almost everywhere in this country. Cocaine and heroin and crack and meth and many other drugs are illegal in this country.

I think prostitution and gambling should be legal.. I think voluntary euthanasia for terminally ill people should be legal. It's a personal decision made by an adult. Cocaine meth herone.. Those are a whole different schedule of drugs.. :shrug:

[fricnjay]

How do you grow illegal weed in a state where weed is legal?

[Teh One Who Knocks]

How do you grow illegal weed in a state where weed is legal?

It's set by each city as to the limit, but you are only allowed so many plants in your home per 21 year old, up to a certain amount. The average per person is about 3 plants with a household limit of 12. They were busting illegal grows with 100's up to 1,000 plants in a single home. They were obviously being grown to be shipped out of state where it's still illegal.

[fricnjay]

It's set by each city as to the limit, but you are only allowed so many plants in your home per 21 year old, up to a certain amount. The average per person is about 3 plants with a household limit of 12. They were busting illegal grows with 100's up to 1,000 plants in a single home. They were obviously being grown to be shipped out of state where it's still illegal.

That makes since

[Teh One Who Knocks]

That makes since

Yeah, if you look even the least bit suspicious or give the cops a reason to pull you over with Colorado plates going into Nebraska or Wyoming, you are going to get stopped and searched to see if you have weed. Whether it's a personal use amount or to see if you have enough to be considered trafficking.

[Muddy]

That makes since

*sense*

[fricnjay]

*sense*

:grammar:

[Muddy]

:grammar:

Just trying to help, so you didnt use that word on the side of someones work van or something.. :razz:

[fricnjay]

Just trying to help, so you didnt use that word on the side of someones work van or something.. :razz:

:lol: I do have spell check over here ya know. :tup:

[Muddy]

:lol: I do have spell check over here ya know. :tup:

Cant tell it.. :razz:

[PorkChopSandwiches]

My plants are budding already