4,000 MARIJUANA PLANTS FOUND IN BURNSVILLE WAREHOUSE

A raid on a Burnsville warehouse uncovered 4,107 marijuana plants with a
street value expected to be more than $100,000, officials said.

It took two days, five police cars and two dump trucks to cart away the
plants, growing lights, fertilizer and other items found in the warehouse
at 1133 E. 120th St., said John Grant, supervisor of the Dakota County Drug
Task Force.

The warehouse was leased for an art supply business by David W. Schulteis,
47, of Eagan, who was charged Monday with second-degree drug possession.

Grant said it was the biggest marijuana bust in Dakota County. He estimated
that when the plants are dried and weighed, they will produce 50 to 100
pounds of marijuana, which sells for roughly $2,000 a pound.

The bust was "pretty substantial," agreed Skip Van Patten, who is the head
of the federal Drug Enforcement Administration's region that includes
Minnesota. He said he knew of a few 1,000-pound busts in Minnesota.

It's unclear where the marijuana was going to be marketed, Grant said.

Schulteis' attorney, Nick Gegen, said that the allegations are untrue and
that his client, who has no prior record, will plead not guilty. Schulteis
is free after posting $50,000 bail.

Police received tips from neighboring businesses about the art supply shop
because they never saw anyone there except Schulteis. Investigators watched
the warehouse a while and checked water and electric bills, which they
found were two or three times that of neighboring businesses, Grant said.

On Friday, police found an elaborate growing operation in four rooms
outfitted with 56 transformers, overhead lights on timed running tracks,
and irrigation and fertilization systems.

"We didn't find one paint brush, easel or can of paint," Grant said.

The plants ranged from 4 inches to 5 feet tall. The operation was about two
years old, Grant said. He said a mature 5-foot marijuana plant is worth
about $500.