Five homes raided, seven people arrested in Pueblo West marijuana sting
The Pueblo County Sheriff’s Office says 1,900 marijuana plants with a street value of $7.6 million were seized from five Pueblo West homes Wednesday morning.
The raids happened at homes in the 100 block of S. Tequila Drive, the 200 and 400 blocks of S. Siesta Drive and the 1100 block of Camino Santiago Drive.
Seven people were arrested. They have been identified as Derek Breckbill, 25, Dennis Rodriguez, 45, Richard “Dick” Sample, 33, Daniel Bingham, 27, Nathaniel Clawson, 30, Gary Bruce, 31, and Angel Rodriguez, 47.
All seven suspects are from Florida. The sheriff’s office called the group a syndicate, saying they all knew each other and were working toward the same goal of producing hash oil to ship to Florida to be sold.
In addition to the marijuana plants, the sheriff’s office says butane hash oil production equipment and weapons were also recovered.
“Illegal home-grow and hash oil operations such as these are very dangerous,” said Undersherif J.R. Hall. “Today, we were able to put a stop to a very large and dangerous operation that was going on in our county,” Hall said.
At a news conference in Pueblo Wednesday afternoon, Hall said criminals are exploiting Colorado’s liberal marijuana laws. “Shall it be at all costs that we embrace this industry? When is enough, enough?,” Hall asked.
Hall says operations like the one busted Wednesday put a strain on resources because of the amount of water and electricity they require, and he said the risk of explosions from butane hash oil manufacturing, the growth of mold inside rental homes, and the improper disposal of chemicals related to such grows create a danger for everyone
In addition to the seven people who were arrested, several adults who were living in the homes were questioned and released. A five-month old was also living in one of the homes.
All seven suspects face multiple drug-related charges.
The sheriff’s office, Drug Enforcement Administration, Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms, Colorado State Patrol, Pueblo Police and Pueblo West Fire Department were all involved in executing the search warrants.
