On Wednesday, Arapahoe County deputies shared photos of what investigators say was an illegal marijuana grow on a roughly 20-acre property in the 100 block of Dutch Valley Road in unincorporated Arapahoe County. According to the sheriff’s office, a July 7 search of the site turned up about 1,900 marijuana plants, including roughly 600 mature plants that were ready for harvest, along with approximately 40 pounds of packaged marijuana. Arapahoe County Special Investigations detectives, backed by SWAT teams from ACSO and the Englewood Police Department, executed the warrant and secured the property.
Images of the grow and a short recap of the bust were posted on Facebook, where the sheriff’s office listed the items seized and noted that the property did not have a license to cultivate cannabis, according to the Arapahoe County Sheriff's Office.
What Deputies Found
The reported plant count would blow past Arapahoe County’s residential cultivation limits. County land-use rules cap personal grows at 12 plants per dwelling unit, with no more than three mature flowering plants, and generally bar commercial marijuana activity in unincorporated areas, according to Arapahoe County.
Multi-Agency Response
The sheriff’s Facebook update states that the Special Investigations Unit led the operation, with ACSO and Englewood Police SWAT teams serving the search warrant. The post includes photos of rows of plants and packaged marijuana staged for removal, according to the Arapahoe County Sheriff's Office. The sheriff’s office did not list any arrests or charges in the public summary.
Legal Implications
Under Colorado law it is unlawful to knowingly grow more than 12 marijuana plants on a residential property without the appropriate license, according to the Colorado Revised Statutes. Large unlicensed grows can trigger felony charges or enhanced penalties, depending on the number of plants and evidence of distribution, factors prosecutors consider when deciding whether to file criminal counts.
Local Context
Front Range law enforcement has been dismantling sizable illicit grows for years, and prosecutors have followed up with felony cases tied to major seizures. In one Arapahoe County case, investigators confiscated 845 plants at a site in Elizabeth, and a defendant received a lengthy prison sentence, as reported by Denver7.
