By Patricia Bogumil
Interim Editor
Despite charges that he was running a multi-million dollar marijuana operation, a 44-year-old Raymond township man remained in custody Wednesday on a $1 million bond.
John Gay is charged with multiple felonies after agents with the Metro Drug Unit, federal High-Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas Program and the Greenfield Police Department executed a no-knock search warrant Oct. 31 at his western Racine County farm.
The property is located at 2743 76th St., Franksville, and within 1,000 feet of Raymond Elementary School.
Racine County Sheriff’s Department Sheriff Christopher Schmaling estimated the value of the seized marijuana at about $7.4 million. He described the scope of the alleged operation as nothing he had ever seen before.
“This was a high-level manufacturer, producing a lot of marijuana for high-level distribution,” said Schmaling.
The tip that led agents to Gay’s farm came about as a result of another investigtion, said Schmaling.
According to the criminal complaint filed in Racine County Circuit Court:
The Racine County Sheriff’s Department SWAT Team made entry at 6:50 a.m. Oct. 31 and secured the premises.
Several guns were located within the residence and secured.
An agent explained to Gay the search warrant and circumstances surrounding the officers’ visit. Gay indicated he did not want to talk at that time.
He also declined to provide the SWAT Team with a key to enter a pole building on the property. Forced entry was then made to gain access to the building.
Inside the pole building, officers reported a very strong odor of raw marijuana.
The building contained different rooms. Officers described a workshop area containing a large amount of grow chemicals, fertilizers, soils and grow equipment.
A loft-type room contained portions of several hundred pounds of cultivated plants hung for drying. Another room was lined with black plastic and appeared to be used as a packaging room with a table, scales and bagging/pruning equipment.
A southeast room appeared to be a storage room and contained 20-30 bags filled with dried marijuana.
Agents also located a grow site west of the pole building, with numerous marijuana stalks spread out over a large, well-maintained area, including some plants described as very large and over six feet tall.
Agents reported the operation was set up in stages.
From the grow site, the cultivated marijuana would be moved to the loft or dry room in the pole building, where it would be processed and then moved to a storage room.
Agents collected from the pole barn about 1,850 pounds of marijuana, which was placed into a dump truck and removed from the property.
Agents returned to the property Nov. 1 to help dismantle the outdoor grow operation by digging out stalks and plants. A total of 289 root bulbs from marijuana plants were reportedly removed.
Gay is charged with three felony counts: possession with intent to deliver over 10,000 grams of tetrahydrocannabinols (THC, the active chemical in marijuana); maintaining a drug trafficking place; and manufacturing/delivering over 10,000 grams of THC.
The charges are enhanced by additional modifiers of distributing/delivering drugs near a school, and committing the felonies while in possession of a dangerous weapon.
If convicted of all charges, Gay faces $110,000 in fines, 63.5 years in prison, or both.
Gay is scheduled for a preliminary hearing in Racine County Circuit Court on Nov. 17.
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