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Colo. National Guard Gets Proceeds From Drug Bust

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Nov 15, 2008 5:01 pm US/Mountain

Colo. National Guard Gets Proceeds From Drug Bust

Reporting
Raj Chohan
DENVER (CBS4) ― The Colorado National Guard received more than $90,000 dollars in proceeds from a major drug bust. The National Guard provided air surveillance for an investigation that uncovered a big marijuana growing operation.

It was the first time the National Guard has received proceeds from a drug bust thanks to a recent state law pushed through last year by state legislator Joe Rice. It means the National Guard can now get a piece of the property seizures from drug busts when the guard plays a role in breaking the case.

"This is a great example of where the National Guard in Colorado played a key role," U.S. Attorney Troy Eid said. "They had helicopter over-flights, they identified a major marijuana grow."

The case involved a large marijuana growing operation in Mesa County on about 40 acres of private land owned by Al and Beth Topliss. The land was adjacent to federal lands managed by the Bureau of Land Management.

"Detecting this marijuana from helicopters is not easy to do, it takes trained individuals," said John Silence, BLM Special Agent in Charge.

National Guard surveillance helicopters spotted the marijuana garden from the sky. Mesa County sheriff's investigators moved in on the ground.

The National Guard got a share of the proceeds from the sale of the criminals' land because the Internal Revenue Service traced the property directly to the drug crime.

"We prove up the money laundering violation and then we link those proceeds, the proceeds of the money laundering, back to assets that are purchased or involved in cultivation of the marijuana," said Christopher Sigerson with IRS Criminal Investigation.

According to state law the National Guard will use the money for its Joint Counter Drug Task Force. The rest of the proceeds went to other state and federal agencies involved in the case.

Last year the federal government seized about $50 million in property in connection with criminal activity in Colorado. The money makes its way back into law enforcement and education efforts.

(© MMIX CBS Television Stations, Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)

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