Elaborate Marijuana Grow Scheme Busted
ARAPAHOE COUNTY, Colo. (CBS4) - Twenty four people have been indicted in what's described as an elaborate series of illegal marijuana grows in which the product was sold out of state.
The investigation began slowly with Greenwood Village police answering an ad of pot for sale on Craigslist. It netted a suspect who turned into an informant.
A million dollar house in a high-end Greenwood Village Neighborhood was identified in the indictment. It claims a registered marijuana trimming business was run there with the excess allegedly sold by co-conspirators.
Marijuana being grown in Colorado under the cover of marijuana legalization is being shipped out of state. It goes for twice or more the price it would bring in this state.
Buyers came from around the country to pick up the pot being sold by the ring according to the charges.
Text messages obtained by investigators documented deals which included pictures of the product.
A home on South Dahlia in Centennial was one of the grow houses, according to the grand jury filing. It said the person who lived here allowed marijuana to grown in return for a percentage from the illegal sale.
Another grow was identified on South Eudora. The resident at the time is one of those accused of racketeering including money laundering.
Some text messages contained in the charges even contained pictures of the cash.
"Can't wait til you get here, don't have enough room for all this," it read.
This case is just one of many around the state of marijuana grow houses that have been appearing in neighborhoods that CBS 4 investigator Rick Sallinger has been documenting under the title of "The pot house next door."
CBS4's Rick Sallinger is a Peabody award-winning reporter who has been with the station more than two decades doing hard news and investigative reporting. Follow him on Twitter @ricksallinger.
