Authorities in New York City raided a maraschino cherry plant in Brooklyn looking for environmental violations because illegal runoff from the factoryâmaraschino red syrup and wasteâwas turning bees in the area red. When they spotted a false wall in the plant... the owner excused himself, went to the bathroom, and blew his brains out. New York Daily News:
âTake care of my kids!â Arthur Mondella, 57, screamed to his sister after locking himself in a bathroom at the Dellâs Maraschino Cherries company... After Mondella shot himself in the head, investigators were shocked to discover three bags holding about 80 pounds of pot and hundreds of thousands of dollars in cash stashed in the factory, sources said. Later, after executing a search warrant on the secret entrance, investigators uncovered âa huge marijuana-growing operationâ underneath the warehouse, a source said. In the space below the plant, they also found numerous high-end vehicles, including a Rolls-Royce, a Porsche and Harley-Davidson motorcycle. âUnderground, it was really âBreaking Bad,ââ said the astounded law enforcement source.
Brooklyn's illegal maraschino grow-op, like Arthur Mondella, is no more. But there's no shortage of pot in New York City. There never is.