'Operation Golden Gofer' busts historic Colo.-Minnesota pot pipeline

A major Colorado drug-smuggling operation that posed as a legal provider of medical marijuana sometimes used sky-diving planes to carry the pot to Minnesota, according to authorities in Denver.

Several Minnesotans, either still living here or recent arrivals in Colorado, are accused of playing significant roles in the 32-person, multimillion-dollar enterprise. Minnesota’s prominence in the pot pipeline was reflected in the name authorities gave to the sting — “Operation Golden Gofer.’’

“This investigation shut down one of the largest and most sophisticated criminal enterprises uncovered since Colorado voters passed Amendment 20 [legalizing medical marijuana] in 2000,” said Colorado Attorney General Cynthia H. Coffman. “Illegal drug dealers are simply hiding in plain sight, attempting to use the legalized market as a cover.”

http://www.startribune.com/lifestyle/health/297691711.html