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Police raided dozens of houses across the metro area this morning, as part of an investigation into a large marijuana-growing operation.
Meanwhile, authorities in Summit County have arrested a man for marijuana cultivation in a separate case.
In the metro-area case, 16 people have been indicted, according to the Adams County District Attorney's office. Those suspects face charges of racketeering, marijuana distribution and money laundering, among other counts.
The suspects' names were not released.
According to police, the ring was growing marijuana in houses in Adams and Weld counties, Broomfield, Denver, Erie and Breckenridge. The ring then shipped the marijuana out of state, using the U.S. mail to do so in some instances.
"We continue to see that Colorado has become a source state for the country," Jerry Peters, the commander of the North Metro Drug Task Force, said in a statement.
Police said there are no links to the state's medical-marijuana system. But attorney Sean McAllister disputed that. McAllister said he's heard some of those arrested might be medical-marijuana caregivers — small-scale marijuana providers who typically serve only about five patients at a time and grow in their own homes. McAllister said continuing confusion surrounding the requirements for caregivers leaves the providers vulnerable to police raids.
"When we find out exactly what these raids were about, I think it will be obvious that some of these folks have a medical-marijuana connection," McAllister said.
Adams County District Attorney Don Quick said multiple agencies worked on the investigation, including the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Internal Revenue Service and several local police agencies. The North Metro task force headed up the investigation.
"This was a large grow and distribution ring, and I am grateful for the cooperative, multi-agency approach to this complex investigation," Quick said in a statement.
Police officers this morning fanned out across the metro area to serve search warrants at 25 houses as part of the investigation. 9News reports (hxxp://www.9news.com/news/article/244822/339/Home-raided-dozens-arrested-after-pot-bust)that the investigation was known among law enforcement as "Operation Sweet Leaf" and that this morning's raids netted about 1,000 marijuana plants.
Meanwhile, authorities in Summit County on Monday arrested a 38-year-old man after receiving a tip about marijuana-growing at a house near Breckenridge. The Summit County Sheriff's office said Scott Matthew Shumsky found about 120 marijuana plants and 16.5 ounces of marijuana during a search. Sheriff's spokeswoman Tracy LeClair said the case is separate from today's North Metro raids.
"Hopefully this will serve as a lesson to others that non-medical marijuana cultivation is still a crime and will not be tolerated in Summit County," Summit County Sheriff John Minor said in a statement.
McAllister said he is representing Shumsky in the case and said Shumsky believed he was operating legally as a medical-marijuana caregiver. McAllister declined make any further comment about the case.
Meanwhile, authorities in Summit County have arrested a man for marijuana cultivation in a separate case.
In the metro-area case, 16 people have been indicted, according to the Adams County District Attorney's office. Those suspects face charges of racketeering, marijuana distribution and money laundering, among other counts.
The suspects' names were not released.
According to police, the ring was growing marijuana in houses in Adams and Weld counties, Broomfield, Denver, Erie and Breckenridge. The ring then shipped the marijuana out of state, using the U.S. mail to do so in some instances.
"We continue to see that Colorado has become a source state for the country," Jerry Peters, the commander of the North Metro Drug Task Force, said in a statement.
Police said there are no links to the state's medical-marijuana system. But attorney Sean McAllister disputed that. McAllister said he's heard some of those arrested might be medical-marijuana caregivers — small-scale marijuana providers who typically serve only about five patients at a time and grow in their own homes. McAllister said continuing confusion surrounding the requirements for caregivers leaves the providers vulnerable to police raids.
"When we find out exactly what these raids were about, I think it will be obvious that some of these folks have a medical-marijuana connection," McAllister said.
Adams County District Attorney Don Quick said multiple agencies worked on the investigation, including the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Internal Revenue Service and several local police agencies. The North Metro task force headed up the investigation.
"This was a large grow and distribution ring, and I am grateful for the cooperative, multi-agency approach to this complex investigation," Quick said in a statement.
Police officers this morning fanned out across the metro area to serve search warrants at 25 houses as part of the investigation. 9News reports (hxxp://www.9news.com/news/article/244822/339/Home-raided-dozens-arrested-after-pot-bust)that the investigation was known among law enforcement as "Operation Sweet Leaf" and that this morning's raids netted about 1,000 marijuana plants.
Meanwhile, authorities in Summit County on Monday arrested a 38-year-old man after receiving a tip about marijuana-growing at a house near Breckenridge. The Summit County Sheriff's office said Scott Matthew Shumsky found about 120 marijuana plants and 16.5 ounces of marijuana during a search. Sheriff's spokeswoman Tracy LeClair said the case is separate from today's North Metro raids.
"Hopefully this will serve as a lesson to others that non-medical marijuana cultivation is still a crime and will not be tolerated in Summit County," Summit County Sheriff John Minor said in a statement.
McAllister said he is representing Shumsky in the case and said Shumsky believed he was operating legally as a medical-marijuana caregiver. McAllister declined make any further comment about the case.
