DOCUMENTS DESCRIBE PROFITS FROM DRUG SALES

Madison -- A rural Viroqua couple indicted this week for allegedly running
a large-scale marijuana operation earned $908,000 in net profits from drug
sales since 1992, according to documents filed in federal court.

Gary R. Roth, 42, and his wife, Dawn M. Roth, 40, each face a mandatory
minimum sentence of 10 years in prison and a maximum life sentence if
convicted on charges of conspiracy to manufacture marijuana.

The couple also were indicted Wednesday for possession of marijuana with
the intent to manufacture.

Not guilty pleas to all charges were entered for the couple at an
arraignment Wednesday before a federal magistrate. The case was set for
trial on March 1 before U.S. District Judge Barbara B. Crabb.

The Roths were arrested Dec. 3 for allegedly using a hog-raising operation
on their 460-acre Town of Franklin farm as a cover for the marijuana they
grew, Assistant U.S. Attorney Dan Graber said Friday. A hog barn had been
converted to a facility for growing and processing marijuana, Graber said.

More than 4,200 marijuana plants were removed from the farm in what state
officials described as a one of the largest marijuana seizures ever in
Wisconsin.

Gary Roth's statements to authorities during a Dec. 3 search of their farm
caused Graber to conclude that Roth netted about $908,000 from his
marijuana growing operation.

Authorities recovered $23,758 from the barn during the search. Criminal
statutes allow the government to seize all assets it can prove were used or
obtained in the commission of a crime.

Gary Roth's attorney, Hal Harlowe, had no comment on the evidence against
his client but said his client was a hard-working person who farmed up to
5,700 acres.

Checked-by: Pat Dolan