Five Plead Guilty to Running “Elaborate,” Expensive Pot-Growing Op in Northwest Dallas

This just in from the U.S. Attorney General’s Office: From the summer of ’05 till December ’08, five locals were running out of three Northwest Dallas houses an “elaborate marijuana growing operation” that was eventually busted up by the Drug Enforcement Agency. They had three houses — one each on Pensive, Lathrop and Wildflower Drives, and how did I not smell this from my house? — where they grew the good stuff and lots of it. From the release:

It was the goal of the operation to harvest 192 plants at
each location, four times per year. From summer 2005 to December 2008,
approximately 4600 marijuana plants were grown at the three houses. The
high-grade, hydroponic marijuana was being grown to sell at $5000 to
$5200 per pound, and it was estimated that the cultivation operation
yielded about 30 pounds per location, per harvest. According to these
figures, the marijuana cultivation organization yielded the organization
approximately $3.6 million from summer 2005 to December 2008.

But no more: Four pleaded guilty today to a conspiracy to cultivate and sell large quantities of marijuana plants; another man cut a deal earlier this week. Each faces a max statutory sentence of at least five but not more than 40 years in prison and a $2 million fine. The full release follows.

FIVE DALLAS AREA RESIDENTS ADMIT RUNNING AN ELABORATE MARIJUANA GROWING OPERATION
Each Defendant Faces Up to 40 Years in Federal Prison

DALLAS – Dallas area residents, Jason Chadwick Doze, 36;
Melody Dawn Pharris, 31; Jonathan Blake Senn, Jr., 32; and his wife,
Stacey Lynn Senn, 34, each pleaded guilty this afternoon, before U.S.
District Judge Jorge A. Solis, to a drug offense related to a conspiracy
to cultivate and sell large quantities of marijuana plants, announced
U.S. Attorney James T. Jacks of the Northern District of Texas. Another
defendant in the case, Roderick Curtis Doze, 40, pleaded guilty to his
role in the conspiracy last week.

Specifically, each of the five defendants pleaded guilty to
one count of conspiracy to manufacture, distribute and possess with
intent to distribute 100 or more marijuana plants. Each defendant faces
a maximum statutory sentence of at least five but not more than 40 years
in prison and a $2 million fine. Roderick Doze, Jason Chadwick Doze’s
brother, is scheduled to be sentenced on October 13, 2010; the others
listed above are scheduled to be sentenced on October 20 and October 27,
2010. Another defendant in the case, Nancy Harris, is scheduled to go
on trial next month.

According to documents filed in the case, in December 2008,
state and federal law enforcement officers executed search warrants at
three houses in Dallas, located on Lathrop Drive, Pensive Drive and
Wildflower Drive, which were being used to grow, harvest and package for
distribution, marijuana plants. Law enforcement seized 980 marijuana
plants, as well as equipment used in the illicit drug business, from
these three houses.

It was the goal of the operation to harvest 192 plants at
each location, four times per year. From summer 2005 to December 2008,
approximately 4600 marijuana plants were grown at the three houses. The
high-grade, hydroponic marijuana was being grown to sell at $5000 to
$5200 per pound, and it was estimated that the cultivation operation
yielded about 30 pounds per location, per harvest. According to these
figures, the marijuana cultivation organization yielded the organization
approximately $3.6 million from summer 2005 to December 2008.

The case is being investigated by the Drug Enforcement
Administration. Assistant U.S. Attorney Gary Tromblay is in charge of
the prosecution.