Dozen law enforcement agencies in Colorado, Florida bust illegal marijuana operation
CANON CITY, Colo. (KRDO) - Law enforcement is still looking for a dozen suspects tied to an illegal marijuana operation, involving federal employees, and spanning multiple states, including Colorado, Kansas, and Florida.
According to the Colorado Bureau of Investigations (CBI), 23 suspects are indicted for an illegal marijuana operation that was headquartered outside of Canon City along Highway 9. Those suspects are facing anywhere from 28 to three charges, including racketeering, marijuana cultivation, possession of marijuana with intent to distribute, and tax evasion.
About a dozen law enforcement agencies assisted in the investigation and bust of this illegal marijuana operation, including the Fremont County Sheriff’s Office, Canon City Police Department, the Drug Enforcement Administration, and even the Miami Police Department. They said the group engaged in a scheme of manufacturing and processing marijuana in Fremont County, Pueblo County, and El Paso County, which was then to be illegally distributed out of state, to Kansas and Florida, bypassing enacted regulations and tax requirements.
“Sometimes marijuana grown in Colorado can get a better price in Florida or in a place that doesn't have recreational marijuana,” said Mark Hurlbert, a deputy district attorney for the 11th Judicial District. “Even if they sell it here in the state of Colorado, they can sell it for cheaper than what you will get at a dispensary or marijuana shop because they don't have the taxes, they don't have the infrastructure that is needed.”
Although marijuana is legal in Colorado, Hurlbert said an individual can only grow up to 12 marijuana plants. Anything more requires a state license. The CBI said not only was the operation unlicensed, they were trying to export the marijuana to states where the drug was illegal.
“They were way above (12 plants),” Hurlbert said. “It wasn't like they were one or two plants (over). We're talking thousands of plants and hundreds of pounds of product. We are talking a big operation and there's a reason why we go after this.”
The CBI said search warrants at multiple properties resulted in the seizure of 1,150 illicit Marijuana plants, approximately 869 pounds of Marijuana products, some packaged for distribution, 13 firearms, and some stolen vehicles.
Court records said this operation started in 2020 and those involved evaded Colorado’s marijuana excise tax by tens of thousands of dollars and filed false tax returns.
Onel Vicente Martinez, 32, and his wife Martha Vicente Romero, 41, managed the illegal marijuana grow operation, according to court documents. Those records said Martinez moved from Florida to Colorado and the other suspects in the case were either family members or friends from the Cuban community in Florida.
Two suspects were even federal employees. According to the CBI, Romero was an employee of the U.S. Bureau of Prisons (BOP) at the time the alleged crimes were committed. KRDO13 Investigates reached out to the BOP about this. They declined to comment but said Romero is no longer employed.
Mario Armando Leyva Hernandez, who was part of the operation in Florida, was an employee of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. KRDO13 Investigates reached out to the VA for comment but we are still waiting to hear back.
“It was great to get help from the Miami Police Department and some of these Florida agencies for tracking people down and helping us with arrests,” Hurlbert said. “It really was a great cooperation between all these agencies.”
Nine of the 23 suspects, including Romero and Hernandez, have been arrested. Law enforcement is still looking for the other 14 allegedly involved in the illegal operation.
