DEA Assists in Destruction of 1,197 Marijuana Plants from Haswell

Following a January 4 raid by the Kiowa County Sheriff’s Office in which nearly 1,200 marijuana plants were discovered, the Federal Drug Enforcement Agency executed a search warrant on January 8 at the same home in Haswell, Colorado. 

The earlier warrant resulted in the arrest of Joseph Capone, 43 and Philip Marra, 48, who were transported to the Bent County Jail and held on $8,000 bond each for possession and cultivation of more than 30 marijuana plants.  Additional charges were expected pending further investigation.  Capone subsequently posted bail a day following his incarceration, and Marra later posted his own bond.

“This is a very sophisticated operation,” stated Kiowa County Sheriff Forrest Frazee.  “Plants are lined up in various stages of growth, with the largest being about three feet tall.  None were in bloom yet.” Frazee stated that the two individuals are thought to have lived at the location for about two months.  The sheriff requested assistance in the case due to the scale of production found. 

Sheriff Frazee has requested assistance from the Colorado Bureau of Investigation and the DEA in continuing the investigation.  While recreational use and sales of marijuana became legal in Colorado at the start of the year, laws and regulation do apply to growing the drug for either personal use or commercial sales.  The drug still remains a controlled substance at the federal level despite the recent change in state law.