Wilbur
New Member
A multi-agency investigation of marijuana growing operations resulted in six arrests Wednesday and the seizure of 10 upscale homes, at least 6,000 marijuana plants worth about $24 million and growing materials.
"They have just accomplished what has to be the largest seizure of marijuana in the state's history," Attorney General Kelly Ayotte said at a news conference.
For the past two months, the state police Narcotics and Investigations Unit, assisted by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency, the state attorney general's Drug Task Force, the U.S. attorney's office in New Hampshire and numerous local police agencies have been investigating residential marijuana growing operations throughout the state.
As a result of recent marijuana seizures in Hooksett and Epsom, investigators developed information that led to the identification of 10 other houses in Concord, Derry, Pembroke, Andover, Chester, Weare, Hopkinton, Londonderry, and Canterbury that were suspected of housing large-scale marijuana grow operations. The homes have a total value of about $4 million.
The house-based operations also involve the theft of large amounts electricity "by bypassing the electric meter at the residences, utilizing both underground and above-ground methods," police said in a news release. In Hooksett, the underground electrical bypass caused the house to catch fire and the rerouting of power caused pole transformers to explode, police said.
"We noticed the electric company was here quite a bit," Kim Hardy said of her neighbor's house in Weare, where over $1 million of marijuana was seized. "Actually, our transformer had blown a couple of months ago, and there's not a lot of activity (in the house)."
She added, "It's a beautiful house; so we're very upset to learn it's being (used as) a greenhouse."
The suspects were arraigned in U.S. District Court. Investigators planned to release their names Thursday.
"This group's outrageous behavior was not only criminal, but calculating, sneaky and without regard to anyone's safety," said June Stansbury of the Drug Enforcement Agency.
Police arrested Toan Nguyen, 34, in October in the Hooksett bust and charged him with growing almost $2.7 million worth of marijuana after firefighters were called to the home. State police did not immediately arrest anyone after finding 1,400 marijuana plants at a home in Epsom last month.
State police listed the names of the homeowners in Wednesday's seizures as: Michelle Nguyen, Thuy Anh Nguyen, Hong Bach Nguyen, Nu Thi Tran, Cong Nguyen, Robert Nguyen, Da Vav Ha, Hung Tran, Hai Bui and Dung Nguyen.
Authorities said homeowners with the same last names may not be related and are not necessarily those arrested.
Newshawk: User - 420 Magazine
Source: Boston.com
Pubdate: 14 December 2006
Copyright: 2006 Associated Press
Contact: Boston.com
Website: Boston.com
"They have just accomplished what has to be the largest seizure of marijuana in the state's history," Attorney General Kelly Ayotte said at a news conference.
For the past two months, the state police Narcotics and Investigations Unit, assisted by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency, the state attorney general's Drug Task Force, the U.S. attorney's office in New Hampshire and numerous local police agencies have been investigating residential marijuana growing operations throughout the state.
As a result of recent marijuana seizures in Hooksett and Epsom, investigators developed information that led to the identification of 10 other houses in Concord, Derry, Pembroke, Andover, Chester, Weare, Hopkinton, Londonderry, and Canterbury that were suspected of housing large-scale marijuana grow operations. The homes have a total value of about $4 million.
The house-based operations also involve the theft of large amounts electricity "by bypassing the electric meter at the residences, utilizing both underground and above-ground methods," police said in a news release. In Hooksett, the underground electrical bypass caused the house to catch fire and the rerouting of power caused pole transformers to explode, police said.
"We noticed the electric company was here quite a bit," Kim Hardy said of her neighbor's house in Weare, where over $1 million of marijuana was seized. "Actually, our transformer had blown a couple of months ago, and there's not a lot of activity (in the house)."
She added, "It's a beautiful house; so we're very upset to learn it's being (used as) a greenhouse."
The suspects were arraigned in U.S. District Court. Investigators planned to release their names Thursday.
"This group's outrageous behavior was not only criminal, but calculating, sneaky and without regard to anyone's safety," said June Stansbury of the Drug Enforcement Agency.
Police arrested Toan Nguyen, 34, in October in the Hooksett bust and charged him with growing almost $2.7 million worth of marijuana after firefighters were called to the home. State police did not immediately arrest anyone after finding 1,400 marijuana plants at a home in Epsom last month.
State police listed the names of the homeowners in Wednesday's seizures as: Michelle Nguyen, Thuy Anh Nguyen, Hong Bach Nguyen, Nu Thi Tran, Cong Nguyen, Robert Nguyen, Da Vav Ha, Hung Tran, Hai Bui and Dung Nguyen.
Authorities said homeowners with the same last names may not be related and are not necessarily those arrested.
Newshawk: User - 420 Magazine
Source: Boston.com
Pubdate: 14 December 2006
Copyright: 2006 Associated Press
Contact: Boston.com
Website: Boston.com
