Feds Arrest 35 In Massive Marijuana Grow-House Ring

[420AM&PM]

Authorities broke up a large, sophisticated marijuana cultivation ring in which people were recruited to operate more than 50 "grow houses" involving thousands of pot plants, investigators said Wednesday.

More than 35 people have been arrested and 4,000 pounds of marijuana seized since the investigation began in May, according to federal prosecutors, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration and local police. Authorities didn't release an estimate of the total value of the seized drugs.

The scheme involved alleged marijuana financiers in New Jersey who offered people "relocation packages" featuring 100 percent financing for homes in the Port St. Lucie area, officials said. The homes were converted into marijuana "grow houses," which the homeowner agreed to operate for two years.

After that, the homeowner could either sell the place and split the profits with their New Jersey financiers or keep growing pot. The homeowner received about $1,000 of the $4,000 value of a harvested marijuana plant, which each home yielding between $136,000 and $1.3 million per harvest, said Miami U.S. Attorney R. Alexander Acosta.

"We have effectively dismantled a well-organized and well-financed marijuana grow house operation, with tentacles that stretched from South Florida to New York," Acosta said. "But we are not done yet."

The people arrested so far face a variety of federal conspiracy and drug charges. Most of the arrests detailed Wednesday involved people who were the caretakers of the grow houses in Port St. Lucie, some of them with children living in the homes.

The New Jersey residents charged were: Luisa Cardenas Alvarez, 41, of North Bergen; Maria Cardenas, 44, of North Bergen; Jose Guerra, 53, of Union City; Celia Martinez, 49, of Union City; Felicito Ceballos, 58, of West New York; Amado B. Chaviano, 42, of North Bergen; Bartolo A. Concepcion, 47, of Union City; Hermogenes Jaquez, 46, of West New York; Adriana Sanchez, 28, and Carlos Jimenez, 33, of West New York.

Newshawk: 420AM&PM - 420 Magazine
Source: News Day ( NJ )
Pubdate: September 20, 2006
Copyright: Copyright Newsday Inc.
Contact: editor@newsday.com
Website: Newsday.com: News, Entertainment and Sports

[BluntKilla]

prices are gonna go up where im at

[tulip]

Estimated street value of 4,000 pounds o dak-over $8,000,000 New Zealand

That'd buy a whole load o tasers...

[AmsterdamGold]

damn dude thats some messed up shit why cant marijuana just be at peace

[onelazysurfah]

More than 35 people have been arrested and 4,000 pounds of marijuana seized since the investigation began in May, according to federal prosecutors, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration and local police. Authorities didn't release an estimate of the total value of the seized drugs.

"We have effectively dismantled a well-organized and well-financed marijuana grow house operation, with tentacles that stretched from South Florida to New York," Acosta said. "But we are not done yet."

The people arrested so far face a variety of federal conspiracy and drug charges. Most of the arrests detailed Wednesday involved people who were the caretakers of the grow houses in Port St. Lucie, some of them with children living in the house.

Let the propaganda begin!

1.) Heres about how those calculations will look, coming from DEA spokesperson. 4000 Lbs. x $8900 per pound = $ 35,600,000 per house.

2.) "With tentacles that stretched from South Florida to New York." I love that analogy, the growing of cannabis likened to the spread of cancer, what a joke..

3.) Children living in a grow house? Hrmm.. nothing on how their condition was? Probably because the kids were well taken care of with loving parents who had plenty of time to spend with their children.. But thats not how it should be, we should all work 90 hours a week and force are kids into daycare, thats the american way...


Soon DEA will have been dimantled and we will reflect on them in the same light we do the SS and the Nazi Regemin..

(RoC)SiyaH

[AmsterdamGold]

nice dude i like how you layed that out. fachist country lol

[Cherma]

As the Dark Environment Around us continues in its pursuit to openly justify the Legalization and Taxation of Marijuana through their efforts in eradication,it has back fired. There is more, and will be MORE & MORE & MORE marijuana grown by every State, County, Municipality, Federal Forest Reserve, Indian Tribal Lands, In every House, Field, Barn, Cave, whatever and where ever. The amount of money being spent to conduct these operations by the either the Feds or the State and or Counties, should cease to exist. It is only a matter of time as these Search & Destroy Missions keep occuuring and people keep narcing off each other, that the financial impact will keep being felt in the Budgeting of, Federal, State and Local Programs that are of a True Value to the Citizens of the United States The monies used to operate and finance these type of Tatics are EXPENSIVE. They have drained away monies allocated for Programs to benefit the communities.
The dark environment around us has figured out how to make this profitable for Themselves and The People. They are waiting to be able to contain as much as possible from the Northern and Southern Brothers & Sisters, that have for years pummeled the good "ol U.S. with their products. This is what they are having a problem with in how to properly Tax the North & South products being STILL brought into the U.S. Boerders. Granted, let the flow of Canadian weed try an make into the U.S. Borders, hell our Brother & Sisters from the South have accomplished this for years. Without being TAXED for it. Except in the usual way of having a load or 2 taken some where else than where it was supposed to go. The Payoffs and The Rip Offs and things nobody saw. Business is Business.
Why have to pay a Fee for each Kilo or Pound that comes over the North or South Borders. When operations can be set up anywhere inside the U.S.A., be it in houses that are paid Grow Ops? or in a field in left 40, or a cave, mining shaft, etc.. why have to smuggle it across the boarders. Transportation, Operations , & Logistics thus have been cut in half, and profits soar for the investors. And it will only get bigger & better.
It is strongly supported by almost all at every level in the DEA and Local authorities to be applying extreme pressure to have a final proposal for taxation based upon State Local & Federal needs to effectively operate, permit, and Tax Marijuana. Again what was spent to take this small operation down that was next to a small pimple in their overall picture, the money actually lost to the. U.S A. economy was well over many million. what we will continue to spend to house the prisoners and court fees etc.. will be well over what was seized. That does not make good business sense.
The U.S.A. Governing bodies that dictate these Operations should take a serious financial look at what they are accomplishing. Since 1937 this "Prohibition" has escalated to become a financial burden. It has been figured out how to turn this around. Soon, hope is they will be spending their efforts and time on the ******* and ****** Trade. There is little said about this as we all know that in Afganistan and other Countries that the DEA and other Agencies are actively invloved in are allowing and assisiting in the Growing, Processing and Transportation of the products. Let alone the protection they have offered them as well. This is a FACT. Except this and move on U.S. public opinion polls. it is apart of international trade and business, for the US good 'Ol Boys. Hell Yes we operate that way too.
Game On.