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Marijuana mogul, caught because he didn't want to pay utility bill

Phillthy

Phillthy

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http://www.philly.com/philly/news/breaking/20101028_marijuana_mogul__caught.html


Marijuana mogul, caught because he didn't want to pay utility bill

By Sam Wood

INQUIRER STAFF WRITER

The alleged owner of a chain of marijuana hot houses stretching from Connecticut to Florida plead guilty Wednesday in Philadelphia to numerous drug and money laundering counts.

Anthony Bui, 57, of Philadelphia, ran lucrative grow operations out of houses in New Britain, Conn.; Birdsboro, Pa.; Staley, N.C., and Jacksonville, Fla., according to prosecutors.

He also imported hundreds of pounds of Canadian marijuana, hidden in tractor-trailers, that he distributed along the eastern seaboard. He plowed his profits into his commercial fishing company in Egg Harbor, N.J. to disguise the source of the money, prosecutors said.

But he didn't want to pay his utility bill at one of his operations. And that caused his empire to go up in smoke.

Bui was converting a former chicken warehouse in North Carolina into a massive growing operation when it caught fire. As a small blaze burned just outside the house, volunteer firefighters detected a "strange smell." An assistant fire chief opened the door to the oversize chicken coop and inside discovered the pampered plants bathed in light radiating from high tech fixtures, prosecutors said.

Investigators later determined the fire had been sparked because the growers were pirating electricity. The wires had been poorly rigged to bypass the electric meter, prosecutors said.

The local power company estimated that the North Carolina operation had stolen $2,261 in electricity from May 20, 2005 until June 30, 2005, according to court documents.

DEA agents soon discovered the three other facilities. According to court documents, Bui set up the operation in Connecticut for his son and the son's friend. In Birdsboro, southeast of Reading, marijuana was cultivated in every room of the house and could produce 25 pounds of marijuana every few weeks that sold for $2,500 a pound, said U.S. Attorney Zane David Memeger.

More than a dozen members of Bui's organization have been investigated and prosecuted, Memeger said.

Bui pleaded guilty to conspiracy to manufacture more than 1,000 marijuana plants, conspiracy to distribute more than 1,000 kilograms of marijuana, and conspiracy to launder monetary instruments. He faces a maximum of life in prison with a mandatory minimum of 10 years when he is sentenced on Jan. 11, 2011.
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SOTF420

SOTF420

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Another reminder of why stealing anything is bad karma.

All those grows and all that action and the theft and resulting fire got him popped.

Hope it works out okay for this dude still but what do you expect really.

Thanks for the post P.
 
Corpsey

Corpsey

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synpe was talking about a big building on 50 acres that he was getting setup, you don't think?
Im pretty sure he is younger then that, but it would be some crazy shit.
 
David762

David762

Member
I just cannot understand how this guy could otherwise have his shit wired tight, running a multi-million dollar per year cannabis operation, and risk it all over a couple thousand dollars of stolen electricity. Considering his multi-state operation, it's difficult to imagine that he was just an ambitious tightwad -- more like hubris.

That 10 year minimum prison sentence is a pretty harsh lesson to learn to avoid bad karma.
 
has_some_sinse

has_some_sinse

Member
We should do our best to show that our passion for cannabis, does not make us criminals, but if you are a thief, stealing electricity demonizes us all.

I know it sucks to be driven underground, but that is the game for now. If you used the service, pay for it. Growing doesn't make you a criminal because the government says so, but stealing is just plain wrong, it is a moral corruption, not cannabis cultivation, that is political agenda based.

I am sorry that some people on the east coast will feel a hit, and people will suffer if that was their only supply source. Shame on him for making us all look bad. Ignorant people will assume that all growers do this.

Don't steal, consume some cannabis, incorporate a little sociology, look at it from a different point of view, if your business is providing power, would you want someone stealing from you?

I think I just heard a resounding "NO".

h_s_s
 
M

mtbazz

Member
"More than a dozen members of Bui's organization have been investigated and prosecuted, Memeger said"

Also shows that you need to be careful who you get involved with. All it takes is one person whose shit isnt 100% tight to bring everyone down around him.
 
G

growfr

Member
Stealing power is definitely wrong. On the other side of the coin.... if the utility companies rat growers out. it is almost necessary.

Smart meters and analyst geeks can find grows very easily. If I were to run an operation like one of those, I would generate my own power.
If you run a diesel generator, it will run on home heating oil. You could get supplied by 4 or 5 different trucks and never need to steal power or be concerned about your bill.
 
johnnyblazin'

johnnyblazin'

Member
You think people would learn not to steal power for growing cannabis after these kind of stories. I live near Staley, NC (not too close, two counties away) and its a pretty small place, not many people (not even 500 I think) so they picked a pretty nice secluded spot for a grow. Nothing about this in the news though, weird. Any canadian stuff coming into the state is usually shipped straight to Charlotte, Raleigh, and Greensboro where everyone goes crazy for it but can still be found in every city (same for mexican outdoor and locally grown outdoor).

As for the situation in those cities, plenty of canadian stuff is smuggled in by Asian gangs who then grow it hydroponically, so I guess the city will be stocked again pretty soon.
 
has_some_sinse

has_some_sinse

Member
Electric companies generally don't do the ratting out since people do run servers out of their home, and a $500 is a small bill for a huge house, pay your bill, they just want the money. The Investors like paying customers, and they wouldn't turn down the easy monthly paycheck.
 
MickeyBlue42

MickeyBlue42

Member
Greed!! All he had to do was keep his nose clean.... its such a waste to get pipped in such a stupid way when you operating things so well :/
 
R

Rabbi Reefer

Stealing power is a sure way of getting caught.
Don't be stupid, PAY YOUR POWER BILL!!!!!
 
S

SexInTheCity

Damn, I feel for this guy...although a stupid mistake, we all do make them.

10 years minimum is a HUGE mountain to overcome.
 
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