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Two men behind an indoor marijuana growing operation in Elk Grove have accepted plea deals that will net them each two years in prison.
While the men are not believed to be linked to a sophisticated organized crime syndicate allegedly behind more than three dozen indoor pot houses raided earlier this year, they still could face federal charges as part of their plea agreement.
Jacky Sau Lenh and Hoa Tap Tung, both 44, pleaded guilty in Sacramento Superior Court on Nov. 30 to marijuana cultivation.
They also will forfeit $7,000 and will pay for electrical power they had stolen, said Dale Kitching, supervisor of the district attorney's major narcotics unit. Indoor marijuana operations often siphon power to conceal spikes in usage, authorities said.
Police said the pair grew 1,600 marijuana plants in three Elk Grove homes. Growing equipment was found in a fourth home owned by Lenh, authorities said.
Elk Grove police spokesman Christopher Trim and Drug Enforcement Administration Special Agent Gordon Taylor said authorities do not believe there is a link between the pair and the 41 houses raided in Elk Grove, Stockton and North Natomas.
Lenh and Tung faced up to three years in prison. Kitching said their plea deal was typical of what prosecutors seek in similar cases. The prosecutor would not say if Lenh and Tung had agreed to cooperate with federal authorities in connection with the separate, much larger operation.
"If they got any time out of it, that's great," Trim said. "It sends a message that this won't be tolerated. It's still a crime, it's not a victimless crime like some people like to state."
Eight other county residents are under indictment in four separate cases, Kitching said.
Meanwhile, federal and local authorities continue to investigate the massive marijuana-growing operation that court papers show is linked to San Francisco's Chinatown, Taylor said.
During August and September raids, authorities hit dozens of area homes, including 21 in Elk Grove and Sacramento. Nearly 20,000 marijuana plants were discovered during the raids, enough to produce about $72 million of pot a year, authorities said.
Taylor said permissive attitudes toward marijuana can make these operations attractive -- especially to organized crime.
"It has emboldened organized criminal groups to move into the marijuana industry," he said."It doesn't really hit home for people until they see these indoor grows pop up in their neighborhoods."
Newshawk: User - 420 Magazine
Source: The Sacramento Bee
Pubdate: 7 December 2006
Author: Ryan Lillis
Copyright: 2006 The Sacramento Bee
Contact: rlillis@sacbee.com
Website: 420 Magazine
While the men are not believed to be linked to a sophisticated organized crime syndicate allegedly behind more than three dozen indoor pot houses raided earlier this year, they still could face federal charges as part of their plea agreement.
Jacky Sau Lenh and Hoa Tap Tung, both 44, pleaded guilty in Sacramento Superior Court on Nov. 30 to marijuana cultivation.
They also will forfeit $7,000 and will pay for electrical power they had stolen, said Dale Kitching, supervisor of the district attorney's major narcotics unit. Indoor marijuana operations often siphon power to conceal spikes in usage, authorities said.
Police said the pair grew 1,600 marijuana plants in three Elk Grove homes. Growing equipment was found in a fourth home owned by Lenh, authorities said.
Elk Grove police spokesman Christopher Trim and Drug Enforcement Administration Special Agent Gordon Taylor said authorities do not believe there is a link between the pair and the 41 houses raided in Elk Grove, Stockton and North Natomas.
Lenh and Tung faced up to three years in prison. Kitching said their plea deal was typical of what prosecutors seek in similar cases. The prosecutor would not say if Lenh and Tung had agreed to cooperate with federal authorities in connection with the separate, much larger operation.
"If they got any time out of it, that's great," Trim said. "It sends a message that this won't be tolerated. It's still a crime, it's not a victimless crime like some people like to state."
Eight other county residents are under indictment in four separate cases, Kitching said.
Meanwhile, federal and local authorities continue to investigate the massive marijuana-growing operation that court papers show is linked to San Francisco's Chinatown, Taylor said.
During August and September raids, authorities hit dozens of area homes, including 21 in Elk Grove and Sacramento. Nearly 20,000 marijuana plants were discovered during the raids, enough to produce about $72 million of pot a year, authorities said.
Taylor said permissive attitudes toward marijuana can make these operations attractive -- especially to organized crime.
"It has emboldened organized criminal groups to move into the marijuana industry," he said."It doesn't really hit home for people until they see these indoor grows pop up in their neighborhoods."
Newshawk: User - 420 Magazine
Source: The Sacramento Bee
Pubdate: 7 December 2006
Author: Ryan Lillis
Copyright: 2006 The Sacramento Bee
Contact: rlillis@sacbee.com
Website: 420 Magazine
