Pubdate: Sat, 30 Jan 2016
Source: Denver Post (CO)
Copyright: 2016 The Denver Post Corp
Contact:  http://www.denverpost.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/122
Author: Kirk Mitchell
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/af.htm (Asset Forfeiture)

ROLEXES, HOMES, CARS SEIZED

U. S. Attorney Files for a Forfeiture Lawsuit Seeking to Reclaim Grow Property.

Federal prosecutors are going after the money side of a southern 
Colorado marijuana grow enterprise by confiscating cash, homes and luxury cars.

U.S. Attorney John Walsh' s office filed a forfeiture lawsuit 
Thursday in U.S. District Court seeking to claim property including 
four homes, a mobile home, luxury watches, more than 1,000 marijuana 
plants and nearly 1,000 pieces of marijuana equipment.

The value of the forfeitures exceed $ 1 million, including the $ 
827,000 value of the homes, according to federal court records.

The lawsuit stems from a dragnet last year inwhich 13 men and a woman 
were chargedwith federal counts of illegally growing marijuana.

According to the recent lawsuit, members of the syndicate bought 
homes in Cotopaxi and Westcliffe and turned them into illegal grow 
operations. They shipped marijuana to Florida via UPS.

Besides the marijuana plants and equipment, agents from the Southern 
Colorado Drug Task Force and the Colorado Springs DEA used electric 
bills as evidence. Marijuana grow operations demand a large amount of 
electrical power.

For example, agents reviewed the electric bills of a home on 
Thunderbird Drive in Cotopaxi for 10months before accused drug dealer 
Victor Garcia bought the home for $ 160,000 in 2013 and the 10 months 
after the purchase.

The home had used 78 kilowatts from Sangre De Cristo Electric between 
September 2012 and June 2013.

Between May 2014 and July 2015, the home consumed 17,573 kilowatts, 
the report says.
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom