Sixteen people have been indicted and accused of running a massive home-grown marijuana operation in the greater Denver area.
(FOX)- Authorities say that over about three years, the group used houses in places like Colorado Springs, Elbert County and Denver to cultivate marijuana and then make big-dollar deals to sell it in Illinois, Arkansas, Minnesota and Missouri, The Denver Post reported Friday.
Authorities began investigating the operation in August after investigators searched an Elizabeth, Colorado, property where they found more than 2,500 pounds of marijuana, which officials estimate is worth about $5 million.
18th Judicial District Attorney George Brauchler says this is the largest such case he has ever seen.
“In a nutshell, this was about home-grown, local folks growing and exporting marijuana (for sale) out of the state of Colorado,” Brauchler said at a news conference Friday afternoon.
“This operation that was shut down effectively by the indictments and warrants that were issued was generating about 300-plus pounds of finished marijuana each month.”