Cherry-Marijuana Nexus leads to Tragic Death of Arthur Mondella
Posted by Sagar Satapathy on February 28, 2015.
A maraschino cherry factory in the Red Hook neighborhood of Brooklyn, New York, was found of growing marijuana by flouting the rules. When the factory was exposed and investigation began into the alleged nexus, its owner Arthur Mondella shot himself dead inside the bathroom of the factory. It was a tragic end to his life, as Arthur did not want to take much pressure and burden and preferred an escaping route.The City and state regulators raided Dell’s Maraschino Cherries owned by Arthur Mondella over allegations that it could be dumping waste into nearby water. But, the investigators were taken aback when the felt the faint smell of marijuana and flimsy shelving. They told 57-year-old Arthur that they would be back with a warrant. That was enough for Mondella to sneak into his private bathroom and shoot himself dead after urging his sister to take care of his kids.
He was rushed to the hospital, but was declared dead there. Around 80lbs of marijuana was found at his 38,000 sq. ft. family owned business. The investigators launched a massive probe to find out more traces of marijuana. Dell’s Maraschino Cherries used to supply syrup-soaked and dyed fruits to many top restaurant chains in the US, including Olive Garden and TGI Fridays.
The law enforcement agencies believe that there is more than meets the eye. It's difficult to believe that somebody would kill himself over weed. There has to be more than that, believe the investigators and looking at possible nexus, which could be much bigger and dirtier. They wonder what made Mondella manufacture cherries upstairs while growing marijuana downstairs without the knowledge of his family members, who never suspected such things.
Mondella, was the father of three children. He was doing well in his business and had a $5 million renovation last year. His relatives and neighbors always respected and admired him and nobody had any complaints against him. He was initially raided for alleged environment violations. But, the drug nexus claimed his life. comments powered by Disqus
