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Meet the REAL 'Weeds': Horse-riding mother-of-three from wealthy New York suburb 'secretly ran $3million marijuana growing operation' just like on hit TV show
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'Pot princess': Andrea Sanderlin, 45, a suburban mother of three and avid equestrian, has been arrested and charged with running a multimillion-dollar marijuana growing outfit
Grow house: DEA agents entered a Queens warehouse registered to Sanderlin's name to find two rooms filled with thousands of marijuana plants and equipped with state-of-the-art lighting, irrigation and ventilation systems
Stakeout: Federal officials spent several days observing Sanderlin arriving at the warehouse on 57th Drive in Queens before they confronted her
Second outpost: Sanderlin was also linked to a warehouse on Tiffany Street in The Bronx
Palatial home: Sanderlin livse in this four-bedroom, five-bath mansion worth between $1.2-$2.4million in the tony New York suburb of Scarsdale
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- Andrea Sanderlin, 45, lives with her daughters, ages 3 and 13, in lavish Scarsdale, NY, home
- Also has a 27-year-old son who was arrested twice for marijuana possession
- Sanderlin could face a minimum of 10 years in prison if convicted of felony narcotics trafficking
- DEA agents raided her warehouse in Queens packed with pot plants and growing equipment
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'Pot princess': Andrea Sanderlin, 45, a suburban mother of three and avid equestrian, has been arrested and charged with running a multimillion-dollar marijuana growing outfitShe was known to her neighbors in the tony New York suburb of Scarsdale as a loving mother of three who enjoyed horseback-riding, but federal officials say 45-year-old Andrea Sanderlin has been leading a double-life as the head of a multimillion-dollar pot-growing empire.
Sanderlin is accused of operating a warehouse in Queens that contained over 1,000 plants and a ‘sophisticated operation to grow and process marijuana.’
The complaint was filed May 20 by Drug Enforcement Administration Special Agent David Lee. It was first reported Tuesday by The Smoking Gun website.
Lee says law enforcement agents entered the warehouse using a search warrant to find two rooms designed to grow marijuana. He says each room had state-of-the-art lighting, irrigation and ventilation systems.
In a twist straight from the Showtime comedy Weeds, which told the story of suburban mom Nancy Botwin, played by Mary-Louise Parker, who built a marijuana-growing operation, officials say Sanderlin had set up a greenhouse in Maspeth, Queens, where she cultivated 2,800 plants worth $3million.
When DEA officials busted the 45-year-old Virginia native outside the warehouse, they seized the marijuana plants, as well as 'large quantities of dried marijuana,' along with special lighting, hydroponic watering system and ventilation equipment.
Sanderlin, who lives with her two daughters, ages 3 and 13 in a well-appointed home on Saxon Woods Road in Scarsdale, has been charged with felony narcotics trafficking, which carries a minimum 10-year prison sentence.
Sanderlin is accused of operating a warehouse in Queens that contained over 1,000 plants and a ‘sophisticated operation to grow and process marijuana.’
The complaint was filed May 20 by Drug Enforcement Administration Special Agent David Lee. It was first reported Tuesday by The Smoking Gun website.
Lee says law enforcement agents entered the warehouse using a search warrant to find two rooms designed to grow marijuana. He says each room had state-of-the-art lighting, irrigation and ventilation systems.
In a twist straight from the Showtime comedy Weeds, which told the story of suburban mom Nancy Botwin, played by Mary-Louise Parker, who built a marijuana-growing operation, officials say Sanderlin had set up a greenhouse in Maspeth, Queens, where she cultivated 2,800 plants worth $3million.
When DEA officials busted the 45-year-old Virginia native outside the warehouse, they seized the marijuana plants, as well as 'large quantities of dried marijuana,' along with special lighting, hydroponic watering system and ventilation equipment.
Sanderlin, who lives with her two daughters, ages 3 and 13 in a well-appointed home on Saxon Woods Road in Scarsdale, has been charged with felony narcotics trafficking, which carries a minimum 10-year prison sentence.
Grow house: DEA agents entered a Queens warehouse registered to Sanderlin's name to find two rooms filled with thousands of marijuana plants and equipped with state-of-the-art lighting, irrigation and ventilation systemsThe woman's lawyer, Joel Winograd, descried his client as a 'full-time mother' who had never run afoul of the law before.
According to federal officials, Sanderlin has been running her marijuana business through a shell company called Fantastic Enterprises Inc.
Sanderlin's name first appeared on the radar of federal agents in April when they arrested five men suspected of running a marijuana-growing outfit from two New York City warehouses.
That business was allegedly headed by 50-year-old Stephen Haberstroh, a Scarsdale resident and Sanderlin's longtime friend.
According to federal officials, Sanderlin has been running her marijuana business through a shell company called Fantastic Enterprises Inc.
Sanderlin's name first appeared on the radar of federal agents in April when they arrested five men suspected of running a marijuana-growing outfit from two New York City warehouses.
That business was allegedly headed by 50-year-old Stephen Haberstroh, a Scarsdale resident and Sanderlin's longtime friend.
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During the investigation, one member of the pot-growing business told federal officials that Sanderlin, whom he referred to as 'Andi,' operated 'at last one marijuana grow house in Brooklyn or Queens,' according to a criminal complaint.
DEA agents quickly linked Sanderlin to several industrial properties, which racked up unusually high charges for electricity, suggesting that the spaces were used as grow houses.
DEA agents quickly linked Sanderlin to several industrial properties, which racked up unusually high charges for electricity, suggesting that the spaces were used as grow houses.
Stakeout: Federal officials spent several days observing Sanderlin arriving at the warehouse on 57th Drive in Queens before they confronted herSecond outpost: Sanderlin was also linked to a warehouse on Tiffany Street in The BronxFederal officials also discovered that Sanderlin's company had an electric account at a one-story warehouse on 57th Drive in Queens, which used up $9,000 worth of charges a month. The bills were usually paid in cash, which also raised a red flag for investigators.
After staking Sanderlin out for several days, on May 20 DEA agents moved in to arrest her as she approached the warehouse in her gray 2010 Mercedes-Benz SUV. Sanderlin refused to allow the officers to enter the property, but they came prepared with search warrants on hand.
Fictional alter-ego: Sanderlin's story brings to mind the plot of the Showtime series Weeds, which followed California widow Nancy Botwin, played by Mary-Louise Parker, who became a marijuana grower to support her family
After staking Sanderlin out for several days, on May 20 DEA agents moved in to arrest her as she approached the warehouse in her gray 2010 Mercedes-Benz SUV. Sanderlin refused to allow the officers to enter the property, but they came prepared with search warrants on hand.
Fictional alter-ego: Sanderlin's story brings to mind the plot of the Showtime series Weeds, which followed California widow Nancy Botwin, played by Mary-Louise Parker, who became a marijuana grower to support her familyUpon entering the property, agents discovered over 1,000 pot plants housed in two rooms, as well as nearly 2,000 other plants that had been prepared for distribution.
Queens Neighbor Noria Solis said she had been smelling pot in the area since December, but assumed that the odor came from local teens smoking marijuana.
Although it remains unknown how long the mother of three has been growing marijuana, she has been leaving posts on message boards like cannabis.com about hydroponic growing techniques since 2008 under the user name andi68.
According to the criminal complaint, Sanderlin had several addresses in New York registered to her name, including 420 Tiffany Street in The Bronx, where she had allegedly operated another grow house.
Inside Sanderlin's sprawling four-bedroom Scarsdale home worth between $1.2 and $2.4million, DEA officials said they found $6,000 in cash and books on money-laundering and growing marijuana.
They also seized $7,900 from the woman's nanny, who allegedly attempted to carry out the cash inside a brown leather bag to Sanderlin's boyfriend, who has been identified as Victor Garcia.
Sanderlin also has a 27-year-old son from her first marriage at age 16. He lives in Brooklyn, and according to the New York Post, he has been arrested twice for marijuana possession.
Sanderlin had recently began taking part in horseback-riding competitions and took lessons with her teenage daughter at Twin Lakes Farm, a riding academy and competitive show stable in Bronxville, according to owner Scott Tarter.
Tarter described Sanderlin to CNN as a ‘beginner adult rider’ who joined the academy in January after buying a big black Friesian horse. Tarter described the 45-year-old woman as a normal, caring, local mother who boarded her horse at his stables.
Queens Neighbor Noria Solis said she had been smelling pot in the area since December, but assumed that the odor came from local teens smoking marijuana.
Although it remains unknown how long the mother of three has been growing marijuana, she has been leaving posts on message boards like cannabis.com about hydroponic growing techniques since 2008 under the user name andi68.
According to the criminal complaint, Sanderlin had several addresses in New York registered to her name, including 420 Tiffany Street in The Bronx, where she had allegedly operated another grow house.
Inside Sanderlin's sprawling four-bedroom Scarsdale home worth between $1.2 and $2.4million, DEA officials said they found $6,000 in cash and books on money-laundering and growing marijuana.
They also seized $7,900 from the woman's nanny, who allegedly attempted to carry out the cash inside a brown leather bag to Sanderlin's boyfriend, who has been identified as Victor Garcia.
Sanderlin also has a 27-year-old son from her first marriage at age 16. He lives in Brooklyn, and according to the New York Post, he has been arrested twice for marijuana possession.
Sanderlin had recently began taking part in horseback-riding competitions and took lessons with her teenage daughter at Twin Lakes Farm, a riding academy and competitive show stable in Bronxville, according to owner Scott Tarter.
Tarter described Sanderlin to CNN as a ‘beginner adult rider’ who joined the academy in January after buying a big black Friesian horse. Tarter described the 45-year-old woman as a normal, caring, local mother who boarded her horse at his stables.
Palatial home: Sanderlin livse in this four-bedroom, five-bath mansion worth between $1.2-$2.4million in the tony New York suburb of ScarsdaleTarter said he was led to believe Sanderlin was in the interior design business.
‘She was just like all the local moms here,’ he said. ‘She wasn't loud. I never saw her smoking or drinking or anything that would have made me believe this.’
In March, Sanderlin won several ribbons in a local equestrian contest, but sold her horse for more than $9,000 last month and was on the market for a new jumping horse.
In an interview with The Post this week, Jenji Khan, the creator of the series Weeds, which ran for eight seasons on Showtime, called Sanderlin's arrest 'a bummer' and joked that 'it's tough being a stay-at-home mom.'
‘She was just like all the local moms here,’ he said. ‘She wasn't loud. I never saw her smoking or drinking or anything that would have made me believe this.’
In March, Sanderlin won several ribbons in a local equestrian contest, but sold her horse for more than $9,000 last month and was on the market for a new jumping horse.
In an interview with The Post this week, Jenji Khan, the creator of the series Weeds, which ran for eight seasons on Showtime, called Sanderlin's arrest 'a bummer' and joked that 'it's tough being a stay-at-home mom.'
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Desert Rose-La La Land,------------- difference between pharmacy and drug cartels is Johnson & Johnson doesn't kidnap the family of Pfizer and dump their bodies in the road because they are competition. I know everyone wants marijuana legal. But does anyone think how that will change the blood bath of cartels? People say it will be farmed and taxed in the US. But having the trillions of dollars taken from the illegal growers and cartels they will retaliate. Pot is the highest grossing illegal drug. It's scary to think what they will do when their main income dries up.
- Babbles , San Diego, 05/6/2013 17:08
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- Babbles , San Diego, 05/6/2013 17:08
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Watch the film "Saving Grace" her hubby dies leaving her in a lot of debt and she starts to do this too!! Great film! Never heard of Weeds :/ wish i had! 
- BritishGibraltarian , The British Rock of Gibraltar, Gibraltar, 05/6/2013 16:11
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- BritishGibraltarian , The British Rock of Gibraltar, Gibraltar, 05/6/2013 16:11
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I do NOT smoke but marijuana is an herb just like sage, mint, camomile, milk thistle etc. The problme here is that the pharmaceutical companies want to cash in on these nantrual herbs marijuana. Why is it ok that the pharmaceutical companies sell prescription marijuana to those that need the it? It's obvious that they are the largest drug dealers in ther world.
- Desert Rose , La La Land, United States, 05/6/2013 15:53
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- Desert Rose , La La Land, United States, 05/6/2013 15:53
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No surprise. The cops are busy locking up minorities for having dime bags, while not even looking at the producers!
- connie2630 , Planet Earth, United States, 05/6/2013 15:38
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- connie2630 , Planet Earth, United States, 05/6/2013 15:38
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DM...very good one..."a budding equestrian"!!!
- John W. Burns , Wide Open Spaces, United States, 05/6/2013 15:33
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- John W. Burns , Wide Open Spaces, United States, 05/6/2013 15:33
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noooooo! there goes my supply for the summer!
- tdominator591 , Brooklyn, United States, 05/6/2013 14:53
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- tdominator591 , Brooklyn, United States, 05/6/2013 14:53
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Will Governor Cuomo's bill for women help this poor lady? I keep seeing these ads to call my Senator to support it.
- MarkD , Syracuse, 05/6/2013 14:46
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- MarkD , Syracuse, 05/6/2013 14:46
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I don't understand how someone even becomes involved in something like this let alone starts their own successful "business" growing & selling. You're going to get caught, sooner or later it will happen. - Luciana , DC, United States, 05/6/2013 13:39------More than likely the same reason why people grow thier own fruit & veg....They don't like the price and quality they pay at the "store". - Chewy , Kashyyyk, United Kingdom, 05/6/2013 13:53 ~~~~~~~ Growing your own fruits & vegetables isn't illegal & get you a minimum sentence of 10 years in prison....but I never thought of if in that context. I guess it could very well grow (no pun intended) from personal use/consumption to growing another plant for a friend & on from there.
- Luciana , DC, United States, 05/6/2013 14:45
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- Luciana , DC, United States, 05/6/2013 14:45
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Sounds like a good neighbor to know
- deebo , Anytown, 05/6/2013 14:36
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- deebo , Anytown, 05/6/2013 14:36
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