crime
Castle Rock man who shot, killed partner in black-market marijuana scheme sentenced to 36 years in prison
Dominique Wogan, a Castle Rock man who shot and killed his partner in a black-market marijuana scheme, was sentenced to 36 years in prison, according to an 18th Judicial District news release issued Wednesday. Douglas County District Court Judge Patricia Herron sentenced the 35-year-old man for the murder of Fletcher Bodnar, a 36-year-old Highlands Ranch […]
Black market marijuana grows are popping up faster than law enforcement can take them down. But is legalization the cause?
As he awaited sentencing in 2010, Fayin Deng sounded a contemplative, philosophic note. “I have learned now that once you become obsessed with money, no matter how great your original need was,” Deng wrote to the federal judge overseeing his criminal case, “there is no such thing as feeling like you have enough.” The source […]
21 indicted in Colorado in connection with international black market marijuana and money laundering scheme
Federal and local law enforcement on Thursday announced the takedown of a black market marijuana and money laundering scheme in Colorado — an operation comprising 21 individuals growing millions of dollars worth of illicit pot across metro Denver and funneling their profits back to China through social media apps. Drug investigators seized thousands of plants, […]
Letters: Not very neighborly, Wyoming (4/15/21)
Not very neighborly Re: “Wyoming aims to protect coal,” April 14 news story The hypocrisy of Republicans never ceases to amaze me. For decades the Republicans in states have decried use of the federal government’s constitutional powers as an infringement of states’ rights. Now, Republicans in Wyoming have passed a new law setting aside money […]
Man ordered to pay $2.5 million restitution to four victims in marijuana fraud
A former Aspen businessman sentenced to 12 years in prison has been ordered to pay nearly $2.5 million in restitution to four victims swindled in a black-market marijuana scheme. Scott Pack was sentenced to prison in July by Arapahoe County District Judge Michael Spear under the Colorado Organized Crime Control Act on a first-class drug […]
Court says Bay Area auto thief should not be banned from using marijuana
A state appeals court has ruled that a convicted auto thief in San Rafael should not have been barred from marijuana use as a condition of his probation. The vehicle was reported stolen in March 2019. Brayan Alexander Cruz Cruz, 21, was arrested five days later after police found him in the vehicle. Cruz Cruz […]
Seven indicted for allegedly running prostitution ring out of Denver massage parlors
A Denver grand jury indicted seven people and 12 businesses for running an alleged international human trafficking operation comprised of illicit massage parlors and black market marijuana grow operations, the Denver District Attorney’s Office announced Thursday. The seven individuals, indicted on 33 felony counts, are accused of “engaging in a pattern of racketeering in which […]
Marijuana raids ongoing in Mesa, Teller, El Paso and Las Animas counties
Two large marijuana busts are occurring in Colorado but authorities say they are not connected. In Teller County, the sheriff’s office reported raids in Colorado Springs, Divide and in Las Animas County where two people were arrested and three properties were searched in a 14-hour operation. The investigation involved a group associated with black market […]
Not your typical grow house: Bay Area buyers paid cash, moved in the marijuana
Custom-built house, wraparound porch, great views, perfect for … a grow house. A marijuana raid in Merced County allegedly found an extensive growing operation in an unlikely-looking home. Three buyers, from San Francisco and San Leandro, paid $590,000 cash for the house in April, the Merced County Sheriff’s Department said on Wednesday. Read the rest […]
Reward offered after San Jose man goes missing in Mendocino County
Police are publicizing a reward in the case of a San Jose man who went missing in April from a Mendocino County marijuana farm. Victor “Gallo” Medina, 39, had reportedly been working at marijuana greenhouses on the Round Valley Indian Reservation, in Covelo. His family reported him missing to San Jose police in mid-April. A […]