A sophisticated Denver-based drug ring that distributed ecstasy and high-grade California and Washington State marijuana in the metro area has been crushed following a year-long investigation, state and federal officials said today.
The organization, allegedly headed by Thanh Thea Hu of Denver brought 50 to 100 pounds of marijuana into Denver a month, according to Jeffrey D. Sweetin, special agent in charge of the Rocky Mountain Division of the Drug Enforcement Administration.
The marijuana was sold on Denver streets at $500 an ounce, Sweetin said.
“We uncovered a very significant organized crime group,” Sweetin said. “We are talking about multi-pound deals. The transactions were conducted in residences or parking lots.”
Sweetin said that Hau, 22, is part owner of the Denver nightclub, DC 10.
Denver District Attorney Mitch Morrissey said that the investigation resulted in the biggest indictment in the history of the Denver district attorney’s office, with a total of 38 individuals being charged.
The 152-count indictment alleges that the individuals were engaged in a pattern of racketeering activity. Officials said Hau’s organization transported 50-to-100 pound quantities of “BC Bud” marijuana, a high grade form of marijuana grown in the Pacific Northwest. The marijuana was valued at $3,000 – $4,000 per pound due to the drug’s potency.
“This case ensures that this organization will never do business on the streets of Denver again,” Sweetin said. “The fact that drug dealers are paying these prices for this high quality marijuana reflects the appetite some in Denver have for the drug,” Sweetin said. “The principle trafficker our agents identified in Denver was determined to make up to $150,000 a month. That’s pretty good money for a 22-year-old.”
According to agents from several law enforcement agencies, Hau was in contact with marijuana distributors in Seattle and San Francisco and would personally arrange for the purchase of each load of marijuana. Once the marijuana had been selected by the distributor, Hau would send a driver from Denver to pickup the marijuana and drive the drugs back to Denver in a rental vehicle. The marijuana would be processed into one pound bags for delivery to his clients, who in turn sold the marijuana to their clients.
The DEA said that on the evening of Sept. 19, investigators watched as Hau received a large marijuana shipment at his residence that had arrived from San Francisco. Agents continued to watch as Hau distributed marijuana to many of his customers.
Later that evening, agents executed search warrants on six locations in the Denver area. As a result, agents seized approximately 70 pounds of high quality marijuana, two marijuana indoor grow operations containing 344 live marijuana plants and approximately $149,000 in cash, Sweetin aid. Also seized that night were 13 vehicles valued at $274,000.
Staff writer Howard Pankratz can be reached at 303-954-1939 or hpankratz@denverpost.com.
