Biggest NJ Pot Raid EVER; $10M Worth of Marijuana Seized

Just months after signing a revolutionary medical marijuana bill into law, NJ authorities have seized more than $10 million worth of illegal marijuana and plants, the most in the state’s history. After sniffing a skunky odor coming from a suburban chimney, cops collected more than 115 pounds of harvested marijuana in addition to 3,370 live plants. So far, three have been arrested in connection with the massive operation. “We have not seen anything to match the volume of production of this criminal enterprise,” said Attorney General Paula T. Dow.

The Cliffview Pilot reports that about a month ago one officer smelled weed in the suburbs of Monroe and was then “faced with overpowering evidence that [a grower] was burning unusable parts of pot plants in the home’s fireplace." A search revealed surveillance cameras set up around the house and four "cultivation areas" in the basement and master bedroom. CBS says that in the next few days police searched more homes, picking up hundreds of plants and pounds of product (as well as growth notebooks, fertilization notes, financial records and cash).

To stay off the radar and avoid the risk of property seizure, the growers rented six nice houses in upper class neighborhoods, where they reworked the electrical system to set up hundreds of grow lamps. They also cut foot-wide ventilation holes through the floor, but the landlords never caught on: to “avoid noisy intrusions” the pot farmers were advised to pick property owners who lived out of state, Dow says.

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By Sabrina Jaszi in News on March 10, 2010 3:47 PM

Comments [rss]

wingedearth

It's good to get lots of potential income out of the hands of organized crime, but now they should legalize domestic pot grown by American farmers (and tax it).

JacqueMehoff

Man, they were Asians, too!

WTF? the fireplace? what are you guys?

the largest bust of it's kind in NJ and they blew it.

oh, also they're Canadian nationals.

Sketto

Legalize it. Tax it.

Fuck it!

calcetines

End Drug Prohibition!

(obviously)

FelixtheCat & Christine Quinn'

Nooooooooooooo! What a waste when I could have smoke it all for them

HypocraticOath

I think, when I get home, Im going to take an extra big toke in honor of these dopes.

SighR

This strikes me as sad.

glen glenn

/tears

tsk_tsk_tsk

1) what a fantastic waste of police resources

2) why won't the government change the laws to allow these people to operate legally and PAY TAXES???

it is long, long beyond the time to throw off the prohibition of marijuana. it was outlawed due to fear on the part of the paper industry, and the increased criminalization of that 80's was just Reagan pandering to the religious right. are those really good reasons to turn down all the revenue gained and ignore all the money saved by the legalization of a harmless plant?

EastRiver

what a fantastic waste of police resources

Doesn't sound like the cops had to put in too much effort on this one. It's not like it was a three year undercover operation. But yeah, I agree.

Nyctini11

apparently, as its been explained to me, we'd put too many lawyers, cops, and jails outta buss, if we didn't have all the arrests and retarded, trumped up drug charges.

brawny

You go through all that trouble only to start burning remnants in the fireplace?!?! Come on! What a waste. :'(

SP

Wow. Seriously. How fucking stupid can they be? Yo have an enormous growing operation, you are keeping money and written records on site, AND, you decide to just fucking burn the shit you can't sell in the chimney? I'm all for counterculture, and support my friendly local pot smugglers and growers, but these dipshits deserved it.

Loulou

yeah. Support the local grows ;) but cmon if you have something this size and you slip up like that? Doing something as dumb as blowing it out (any part)from your chimney

fail.

and sucks for nj..weekend coming up =P

Guest

OMG!!! FOR THE LOVE OF CHRIST, CAN YOU SPARE ME AN OUNCE? JUST A LITTLE OUNCE? I'VE BEEN WITHOUT IT FOR A WHOLE YEAR!!

ps sorry for the caps. i don't know what just happened to me.

JenChungsBaby

You've been looking for a year and have been unable to get any?

Guest

i'm not too keen on dealers, and i haven't searched that hard. it was something that was always around while my friends were here--2-3 different strains to choose from. all the time. hah.

but i am visiting california this summer, hopefully.