Cherry Magnate Shoots Self in Head as Cops Raid Hidden Drug Stash
The owner of a Brooklyn-based maraschino cherry company killed himself Tuesday during a drug raid on his Red Hook factory. After watching law enforcement agents discover a fake wall, Dell's Maraschino Cherries owner Arthur Mondella reportedly locked himself in his private bathroom, yelled "take care of my kids" to his sister, and then shot himself in the head.
Not long after the shooting, investigators found more than 80 pounds of marijuana and hundreds of thousands of dollars in cash behind the hidden entrance. From the New York Daily News:
Later, after executing a search warrant on the secret entrance, investigators uncovered "a huge marijuana-growing operation" underneath the warehouse, a source said.
In the space below the plant, they also found numerous high-end vehicles, including a Rolls-Royce, a Porsche and Harley-Davidson motorcycle.
"Underground, it was really 'Breaking Bad,'" said the astounded law enforcement source.
Twenty-five investigators from the Brooklyn D.A.'s office and the Department of Environmental Protection swarmed the Red Hook factory—which provides cherries to Red Lobster, Buffalo Wild Wings, Chick-Fil-a, TGI Fridays, and other chain restaurants—early Tuesday morning to examine the building for possible environmental violations. (The New York Post reports that attempts to get a warrant to search for drugs were unsuccessful, hence the D.E.P.'s involvement). Mondella was reportedly cooperative during the search's first five hours or so, until investigators discovered the hidden room.
"As soon as that door cracked, the aroma of marijuana was overwhelming," a law enforcement source told the Post. "It looks like a cave, like they dug it out on their own."
Surveillance cameras and several generators were also discovered throughout the factory, which Mondella's grandfather opened in 1948*. It went through a $5 million renovation last year.
