dedbr

DEA targets Suppliers and Financiers of Bourgeoning Indoor marijuana grows
,08/DEA News Release/ Seattle Washington

Seattle DEA Targets Suppliers And Financiers of Bourgeoning Indoor Marijuana Grows
Garden Supply Companies, Mortgage Broker Searched; Indictments Returned
APR 23 -- (Seattle, WA ) – DEA Special Agent in Charge (SAC) Arnold R. Moorin and the United States Attorney for the Western District of Washington, Jeffrey Sullivan, announced that two garden supply companies and the office of a mortgage broker were searched by federal agents today in connection with “Operation Green Reaper,” a crackdown on suppliers and financiers of illegal indoor marijuana grows. A federal grand jury in Seattle has indicted the owners of GREENHOUSE GARDEN SUPPLY of Tukwila, Washington, and SCITEK GARDEN SUPPLY of Auburn, Washington, for Conspiracy to Manufacture Marijuana and Conspiracy to Commit Money Laundering. The offices of Jet City Mortgage of Kent, Washington, as well as the home of the mortgage company owners, were also searched today in connection with possible mortgage fraud related to numerous homes where marijuana grows have been discovered.
“The cultivation of indoor grown marijuana poses a danger to everyone in our community,” said DEA Special Agent in Charge Arnold R. Moorin. “These grows use toxic fertilizers and pesticides, have jury-rigged electrical wiring, and leave behind mold and contamination. These homes are a magnet for other crime – in the last year grow houses have been the scene of robberies and murders. The DEA is committed to working with our state, local and federal law enforcement partners to ensure that the neighborhoods where our children play and where families invest their life savings are safe. We will continue to direct our efforts to attacking the infrastructure of these criminal enterprises, in an effort to provide healthier environments for all.”
According to documents unsealed today, the Drug Enforcement Administration and local law enforcement began investigating the garden supply shops in January, 2007. Using confidential informants and materials discovered at marijuana grows, investigators allege that GREENHOUSE GARDEN SUPPLY and its owner QUYEN THE NGUYEN, of Renton, Washington, provided crucial equipment, advice and trash disposal service to those setting up indoor marijuana grows. Financial records reveal that deposits to the company business account are more than twice the income reported to the Washington State Department of Revenue. Some eighty percent of the money deposited is in cash.
The investigation of SCITEK GARDEN SUPPLY and its owner THIET VAN TRAN, of Seattle, Washington, also began in January 2007. Investigators noted ads in Vietnamese newspapers showing marijuana leaf logos and pictures of specialized equipment. Surveillance of the business revealed bags filled with denuded marijuana stalks and potting soil. The business was connected to grows that totaled more than 14,700 plants. While the business’ reported income was very modest, over eighteen months between August 2006 and January 2008, the business took in more than $900,000 with 90% percent of the deposits in cash. The indictment alleges that more than $1.1 million in cash was laundered through SCITEK GARDEN SUPPLY and related bank accounts during this period. In addition, two rings of marijuana growers associated with SCITEK GARDEN SUPPLY were indicted by the grand jury.
According to the search warrant affidavit filed in connection with Jet City Mortgage of Kent, Washington, investigators have determined that nineteen homes where marijuana grows were discovered were purchased using the services of Jet City Mortgage. A review of a sampling of the loans reveals that documents related to the purchasers’ income and employment were falsified. According to the affidavit, various small business owners were paid a fee of up to $600 to falsely verify employment. Jet City Mortgage and one of its owners, who was also a real estate agent, generated substantial fees and commissions by pushing the purchases through with falsified loan information. No criminal charges have been filed in connection with any of the mortgage transactions.
“The scourge of marijuana grow houses that has gripped British Columbia is moving south and invading our neighborhoods,” said United States Attorney Jeffrey Sullivan. “By targeting the businesses that promote, supply and establish these grows, we hope to stop the organized criminal groups that destroy lives while making millions through drug trafficking.”
The indictments unsealed today charge these defendants with Conspiracy to Manufacture Marijuana and Conspiracy to Launder Money:
PHAT FUGU, LLC, a/k/a Greenhouse & Garden Supply, 4451 S 134th Pl, Tukwila
QUYEN THE NGUYEN, 43, Renton
SCITEK GARDEN SUPPLY, LLC, 1720 Pike St. NW, #4, Auburn
THIET VAN TRAN, a/k/a David Tran, 41, Sammamish
TRUONG QUANG LAM, a/k/a Tony Lam, 32, Auburn
ELLIS V. NGUYEN, 57, Lynnwood
TAM MINH DANG, 44, Kent
SON HOANG BUI, 40, Lynnwood
TRAN SO LUONG, 46, Lynnwood
BE TRAN NGUYEN, 67, Auburn
QUE THI DANG, 58, Auburn
SARINA THI TRIEU, 43, Puyallup
TUONG TRUNG DUONG, 48, Puyallup
DIEP DAC MACH, 44, Renton
VAN THI TRIEU, 35, Puyallup
HENRY PHUNG, 37, Renton
Conspiracy to Manufacture Marijuana is punishable by a mandatory minimum ten years and up to life in prison and a $4 million fine. Conspiracy to Commit Money Laundering is punishable by up to twenty years in prison.
This was an Organized Crime and Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) investigation, providing supplemental federal funding to the federal and state agencies involved. The case is being investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration, the South Snohomish County Narcotics Task Force (SSCNTF includes officers from Lynnwood Police, Edmonds Police, and Mountlake Terrace Police.), the Valley Narcotics Enforcement Task Force (VNET includes officers from the Kent, Renton, Auburn, and Tukwila Police Departments), the Seattle Police Department, Washington State Patrol, Port of Seattle Police, King County Sheriff’s Office, the Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI), and the Washington State Department of Financial Institutions (DFI).

__________________
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dedbr

One things for sure, they weren't playing around with this grow, huh? Just goes to show you what a little free enterprise and American ingenuity can do.........

The DEA felt so highly about this one tha they put it on their web site........


Some Where In Ded Land.....

Jake

Grow-ops are becoming more and more popular. Of course, where's there money.....

But I think that we're seeing a huge increase in personal consumption growers too, five plants or less.

I work in a Garden Center and man whenever we get an old hippy picking up the "earth box" ....cn't help but think.

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Nephrosis

“The cultivation of indoor grown marijuana poses a danger to everyone in our community,” said DEA Special Agent in Charge Arnold R. Moorin. “These grows use toxic fertilizers and pesticides, have jury-rigged electrical wiring, and leave behind mold and contamination. These homes are a magnet for other crime – in the last year grow houses have been the scene of robberies and murders. The DEA is committed to working with our state, local and federal law enforcement partners to ensure that the neighborhoods where our children play and where families invest their life savings are safe. We will continue to direct our efforts to attacking the infrastructure of these criminal enterprises, in an effort to provide healthier environments for all.”


Wow, can they get ANY worse? We use the SAME fertilizers as people growing ROSE bushes... we have the SAME electrical wiring as LEGIT indoor farmers use. Just a couple more LIES to go out there... Luckly for us, our generation is accualy noticing these stupid people and are taking ACTION. The new adults of the millenium are going to overthrow these old political bastards and sooner or later THEY will be the ones prosecuted.

king cola

What toxic fertilizers and pesticides would that be? The same fertilizers and pesticides that is commonly used when growing vegetables and other plants! They don't name the fertilizers that they find at the bust! The stuff came from a garden supply store, keyword GARDEN!

Last year the grow houses were the scene of robbery and murder. Why didn't I hear about it on the news last year if people were getting murdered at grow houses, whenever there is a big grow bust it usually makes the news and I think a murder at a grow operation would be top story everywhere! Robbery will happen, it's prohibition. Someone grows pot anyone could break into the house and attempt to rob the grower knowing they probably won't go to the cops to report it, it's safer than robbing a bank for the same amount of cash they might find in a grow house. Robberies and murders at grow houses, the only place I hear of that happening the most is in Canada but it's with the organized crime gangs fighting for control against their competitors.

I think people have more problems with neighbors that bitch about property boundaries every year than with someone that might be growing some pot and minding their own buisness. If someone is growing pot and they are non violent then they aren't a danger to anyone. The only danger that might cause is if the DEA went to raid the house and they kick down the wrong persons door with their guns in hand.

If someone is a violent drug dealer it might pose a danger but I really don't think that they are going to attack some kid or a family at random! The only real danger is if a drug deal goes bad for some reason and both people are violent criminals and carry guns and then it becomes a hazard if they get into a gunfight outside because then the neighbors are in danger of getting shot by a stray bullet.

There were always marijuana growers in America, but we don't hear too much about a house full of pot growing in America unlike in British Colombia but there were always large scale grows outside in our country. More people might be doing bigger grows inside only to avoid having their crops spotted by people walking around or a helicopter looking for marijuana. Pot hasn't destroyed my life, I don't smoke alot of weed but that's beside the point, I go out and work and still do the things I like to do. If an adult wants to smoke pot it's their life and their choice. I could think of high taxes and oil prices ruining the lives of families right now. They talk about someone wasting money on drugs or lives getting effected, most people are spending less on legal things right now like not taking their family out to dinner at restraunts, not taking the risk of buying a new car or going on vacation, buisness owners are losing income, things are bad.

With a bad economy and people losing jobs everywhere these guys in this story were making damn good money!

Buzzby

Thank you for giving me my first good laugh of the day. What do you think we were saying in 1968?

99.75% of cannabis consumers don't even care enough to join one of the major pro-legalization organizations. Why would you think that these people would make the much greater effort to change the nature of American politics?

National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML)

Marijuana Policy Project (MPP)

Drug Policy Alliance (DPA)

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BillieBudd

I certainly agree that this person was talking nonsense regarding the fertilizer. I don't think even the most callous large scale grower would use anything worse that what gets put on the food we eat and also washes into the streams.
But he might have a point regarding the wiring, especially the larger operations run by probably underfunded Asian gangs...they don't give anymore a hoot about what they leave behind than Monsanto does and could try to cut costs any number of ways...but farting around with electricity can be hazardous.
Of course, if it was legal, we could all pay a licensed electrician to rig it up, apply and pay for an inspection by the fire chief, (maybe pay a permit fee to the state).....and grow...

reggie_the_dog

that all the people busted are of Vietnamese ancestory? The names sure look like it anyway. Their only fault was to have put hemp leaves on their ads but they can lie and say the leaves were just Japanese maple leaves.....

Buzzby

Any hydroponics store is automatically suspicious. That's why the security experts recommend that you don't drive there in your own car, because they are often under surveillance. If I wanted to grow marijuana, I'd arrange for someone in another state to buy the equipment for me.

Bernie420

And you can get nearly everything you need at Walmart or some big box home supply center.
PS.....the number one rule in growing MJ is: Tell no one. So you'd have to lie to your friends about the grow op equipment and hope they believe you.