Business hid elaborate marijuana grow

SANTA FE (KRQE) - A Santa Fe businessman claimed he had big plans by using an old sausage packing plant to start up his own restaurant, but police said what he was really packaging in the warehouse was illegal.

Police have issued a warrant for the arrest of Marshall Duran. Detectives said Duran was the man was running an elaborate marijuana growing operation worth hundreds of thousands of dollars in the middle of the Santa Fe.

The so-called business sat on Jorgenson Lane one block away from Cerrillos Road.

As far as neighbors knew Duran was running a legit business.

“The man claimed they were processing meat, but we never heard the equipment, we never saw the inspectors come in,” Gabe Apodaca said.

Business was booming, and police would soon catch a whiff of what was really going on.

“Stunned, to say the least, when we first caught the sent of the marijuana,” Captain Aric Wheeler of the Santa Fe Police Department said.

Police said the stench of marijuana seeped out the doors. They initially thought the warehouse was just housing the illegal drug. However, they would soon walk into an elaborate illegal marijuana grow.

“Definitely knew what he was doing," Wheeler said.  "A very complex structure where they take large freezers and converted them into grow rooms."

One room held pots of seedlings. Another room was designated for more mature plants. Detectives said in each of those rooms was an elaborate irrigation and lighting set-up.

Police then walked into a bathroom that had been set up to dry out the illegal drug. Finally there was a freezer turned into a processing center where marijuana was bagged and shoved into suitcases.

A total of 113 pot plants were pulled from the warehouse along with 30 pounds of marijuana ready to be sold on the streets.

Neighbors said after hearing what police found it started to all add up.

“They were coming in late at night, 7 to 8, just to get a few boxes out,’ Apodaca said.