Arthur Mondella, Owner Of Dell's Maraschino Cherries Factory, Kills Self After Drug Lab Is Found

[Jessiesgirl1108]

Maraschino cherry company owner shoots himself dead - moments after police found a Breaking Bad-style drug lab and a fleet of luxury cars at his factory

• Arthur Mondella, 57, shot himself dead in the bathroom of Dell's Maraschino Cherries factory in Brooklyn, New York
• Investigators looking into environmental offenses smelled marijuana coming from the walls
• Mondella went into his private bathroom and shot himself in the head
• Investigators had entered the premises on environmental warrants but suspected factory was being used as front for a grow lab
• Officials discovered hundreds of thousands of dollars, 80lbs of pot and a fleet of vintage cars

Company president Arthur Mondella, 57, had cooperated with investigators for five hours who were at Dell's Maraschino Cherries factory in Brooklyn, New York over allegations the generations-old, family business had been dumping hazardous waste.
Investigators reportedly came across suspicious shelving in a storage unit - then behind a door found a false wall with the smell of weed seeping through.
The entrance to a dug-out basement was then found, with three bags of marijuana inside.

[...]


Mondella then excused himself to go to his private bathroom, locked the door and shot himself at 1.30pm, a law enforcement source told Daily Mail Online.
Before committing suicide, the third-generation cherry tycoon told his sister who was present, Joanne Capece, to 'take care of my kids'.
Those present heard a single gunshot, according to CBS New York. Mondella later died at a local hospital from the .357 magnum gunshot wound.

[...]

One official told the Daily News: 'It appears there was another activity going on, that's for sure. I don't think you kill yourself over a bag of weed. There has to be more to it.'
Brooklyn District Attorney's office had received a tip-off about the marijuana operation in 2013, the New York Post reported.
Despite watching comings and goings at the factory for six months, the DA's office was unable to work out if there was a marijuana business operating inside.
An anonymous source told the paper that the environmental offense warrants were simply used to get into the building.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...over-evidence-drug-operation-wall-office.html

 

[Krystal]

I don't think you kill yourself over a bag of weed. There has to be more to it.'

I think he's right. Even 80 pounds of weed isn't serious enough to kill yourself over, you'd get some prison time but with the money he could throw at a lawyer he wouldn't have gotten as much time as most other people would. I think they're going to find a lot more before this is over.

 

[madshrew]

but the cherries are the best part.

 

[Kathy]

I do believe that the cherry empire should have been enough to live off of. At least for most people it would be. I mean I could live easily off of a million a year and 10 million is just ridiculous! He or someone got greedy and wanted more money.

 

[Malodorous]

Kind of disturbing that the officials witnessed him telling his sister to "take care of my kids" and just let him wander off, without taking him into custody. WTF? Did they show up sans any actual law enforcement with legal authority to arrest him?

 

[Brenni]

Cherries and weed ... Cherries and weed!!

 

[Macabre]

I guarantee that environmental warrant was used just to suss out the drugs.

A false wall?
You got to be looking pretty damn hard for that.

 

[Norcal Skim]

Kind of disturbing that the officials witnessed him telling his sister to "take care of my kids" and just let him wander off, without taking him into custody. WTF? Did they show up sans any actual law enforcement with legal authority to arrest him?

Seems like that is something you would say before being arrested, you can't expect cops to be mind readers.

 

[LarzlovesJahi]

Maybe this operation had larger partners who'd hold Mondella liable for the money lost during the bust? Partners he might have been scared of?

 

[Morbid]

Hey everyone. Just wanted to remind everyone to watch the copyright stuff when using photos from other news agencies. If you are in doubt about whether it is ok to use a photo or not, it's safer to just not use it at all. Thanks!

 

[GirouxFilms]

Honestly, one of the craziest stories I have read in a long time. It just keeps going on ! Years ago, thjis particular Maraschino Cherry plant, which has been open for 70 years, was under investigation for possibly dumping corn syrup in a lake, which in turn were turning bees red! Zoom forward to today... An inspection via cops to investigate this claim leads to a faint smell of marijuana, an unexpected suicide, and the discovery of a freaking magnetic wall leading to an underground drug empire!!! OH, and a stash of super fly vehicles. HO-LEE CRAP. Let me know what you guys think.

Owner of Brooklyn Maraschino Cherry company kills himself after police find huge marijuana-growing operation: sources
Published: Tuesday, February 24, 2015, 4:21 PM

A cherry manufacturing king committed suicide in a Brooklyn factory after his business was exposed Tuesday as a “Breaking Bad”-style drug den, sources said.

“Take care of my kids!” Arthur Mondella, 57, screamed to his sister after locking himself in a bathroom at the Dell’s Maraschino Cherries company.

Investigators were searching for documents and questioning Mondella for about five hours when they came upon a flimsy-looking shelving system. Sent to the Red Hook business about 8 a.m. to uncover alleged pollution in the waters near the cherry plant, investigators were hit by a faint smell of weed.

The sound of a gunshot then echoed through the factory, home to the family-owned business since its 1939 opening. Joanne Capece stood outside helplessly as her brother pulled the trigger.

A detective assigned to the Brooklyn district attorney’s office noticed the shelves attached to the wall by magnets. Authorities started asking Mondella about the partition and he excused himself. He walked into the bathroom attached to his office.

A source who knew Mondella told the Daily News that the cherry king had a license to carry a gun and often kept it holstered to his ankle.

After Mondella shot himself in the head, investigators were shocked to discover three bags holding about 80 pounds of pot and hundreds of thousands of dollars in cash stashed in the factory, sources said.

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.

Authorities investigate at the Brooklyn warehouse where Arthur Mondella killed himself Tuesday.

“Underground, it was really ‘Breaking Bad,’” said the astounded law enforcement source.


Sources indicated the cherry plant was equipped with an elaborate security system.


Friends of the dead businessman were stunned by both the suicide and the discovery of the supposed drug operation.


“I talked to him yesterday,” said Ethan Casucci of Thought for Food & Son, who helped Mondella rebrand the company last year. “That doesn’t seem right. He seemed fine.”


A reeling Brian Roberts, 48, owner of the neighboring Cornell Paper and Box Co., recalled Mondella as a friendly guy. In the wake of Hurricane Sandy, Mondella offered to run a power line into Roberts’ business when he lost electricity.


“We were all here wondering what would lead him to take his life,” said Roberts. “This is shocking.”


The initial raid was conducted by the state Department of Environmental Conservation, the city Department of Environmental Protection and detective investigators from the Brooklyn DA’s office. The authorities who arrived at the Red Hook facility with four warrants weren’t looking for drugs, officials said.


They were instead trying to nail Mondella, a third-generation owner of the business, for dumping syrup and other cherry-related waste into the water near the warehouse, sources said.

The owner of Dell's Maraschino Cherries, Arthur Mondella (pictured), fatally shot himself inside his Brooklyn factory on Tuesday when investigators got a sniff that the place might be a front for a massive drug operation.

About 25 investigators descended on the Dikeman St. facility, home to a $5 million renovation just last year. Investigators fanned out across four buildings at the plant as the probe began.


One of the detectives spotted the shelves inside a gated area of the factory, and thought the wall “appeared to hide a secret room,” a source told The News. The investigators spied a ladder leading to a basement where the bags of weed were spotted, the source said.


The cherry factory — with big-name clients like Caesars Entertainment, Red Lobster, Buffalo Wild Wings and Chick-fil-A — was long targeted by the city Department of Environmental Protection.


There was enough sticky discharge to turn some local bees red, raising flags of the same color.


“It probably would have been a fine,” one source said of the spillage. “Nobody does 10 years in prison for dumping cherry syrup in the water.”


Mondella had a previous arrest in 2011 for assaulting his second wife in Brooklyn’s 60th Precinct. The charges were later dropped.


He was survived by two adult daughters from his first marriage, and a toddler from his second wife — who was separated from Mondella.


“He was a very good man,” his ex-wife told The News. “I can’t speak anymore.”

Dominique Mondella, 23, daughter of Arthur Mondella, works at the cherry company in 2009.

http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york...-kills-drug-operation-found-article-1.2127732

 

[Krystal]

This is a dupe, it was posted yesterday.

 

[GirouxFilms]

This is a dupe, it was posted yesterday.

Sorry about that! Different article? I didn't see it.

 

[Krystal]

Possibly but I remember the story at the one picture of the man with all the cherries.

 

[Oberle]

Honestly, one of the craziest stories I have read in a long time. It just keeps going on ! Years ago, thjis particular Maraschino Cherry plant, which has been open for 70 years, was under investigation for possibly dumping corn syrup in a lake, which in turn were turning bees red! Zoom forward to today... An inspection via cops to investigate this claim leads to a faint smell of marijuana, an unexpected suicide, and the discovery of a freaking magnetic wall leading to an underground drug empire!!! OH, and a stash of super fly vehicles. HO-LEE CRAP. Let me know what you guys think.

Great write-up, thanks.

 

[Keepalowprofile]

Oh dear, What will become of the cherry prices.

 

[JackBurton]

What bullshit. Driving a man to suicide over pot. Every single law enforcement official involved is a scumbag.