Minneapolis, MN - The last defendant remaining at trial connected to what may be the largest indoor marijuana growing operation in Minnesota history was convicted Tuesday in federal court.
A jury found Lai Pham, 36 guilty on one count of conspiracy to manufacture 1,000 or more marijuana plants. During the trial on Monday, two other defendants, Tung Nguyen, 34, and Tuan Dang, 32, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy.
Prior to the seven-day trial, the six other defendants each pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy.
They are: Thin Do, 31, Bloomington; Nam Nguyen, 33, Roseville; Thuong Nguyen, 45, Brooklyn Park; Sonny Pham, 44, Eagan; Hung Le, 48, Maplewood; and Christian Pham, 33, Brooklyn Park. All nine defendants were indicted on May 6.
Authorities seized more than 4,900 marijuana plants during the execution of 19 federal search warrants Thursday in the Twin Cities.
The DEA’s Minneapolis office and Hennepin County Sheriff reported the arrests and seizure April 11 after the defendants made their initial appearance in federal court. The executed search warrants resulted in the recovery of marijuana plants at residences in Brooklyn Park, Burnsville, Coon Rapids, Eagan, Inver Grove Heights, Lakeville and Maplewood. According to a DEA affidavit, police learned Tung Nguyen was operating a marijuana grow operation at a Burnsville residence. Authorities began surveillance of the defendants in
January 2008 and observed them buying supplies commonly used to build indoor marijuana grow operations.
During the executed search warrants in 8 residences, authorities recovered marijuana plants, along with other evidence of marijuana cultivation. More than 2,300 plants were recovered at two Maplewood residences; more than 300 plants at one in Burnsville; more than 400 at one in Brooklyn Park; more than 100 at one in Coon Rapids; more than 700 at one in Inver Grove Heights; more than 500 at one in Lakeville; and more than 600 plants at one in Eagan.
At a second Brooklyn Park residence, authorities also recovered in excess of $31,000 in cash.
What a waste of money. Why do they bother with weed dealers when they have such a bad gun problem that kids are going into schools and killing everyone.
If it's anything like over here, I think it's more trying to take down the organised crime gangs by taking out their income - not necessarily a jihad against ganja. We get daily reports of vietnamese growers being bust for large commercial ops, allegedly the gang brings them over here at their cost, and then the guy has to farm weed for years to pay off the debt...essentially slaves. I'm sure there's loads more to it, but that's what happens around here...
more so the fact that pot farmers are easy targets as they can't move there grow ops around like the meth heads do they make it here one day and somewhere else the next weed farmers stay in one place thru the whole grow less work for the cops and it makes them look like they are actually doing something other then wasting tax payers money like they are besides messing with a meth head could get them shot and who wants that either way it makes the tax payer think they are getting something for there money when in fact they are not as they are turning loose the murders rapist and child molesters just have room to lock up a pot head who hasn't hurt anyone I guess they don't have there priorities right or just plain lazy take your pick
The DEA are making all kinds of marijuana busts around here in Colorado. While it's a shame that they had to confiscate all those plants...I just hope they leave us small operations and medicinal patients alone. I personally grow it for medicinal and recreational use but I think that it's justified if they are cracking down on mafia and gang affiliated operations. Those bad guys give marijuana a bad name!