A former Aspen businessman has been convicted of six felonies in connection with a massive marijuana trafficking organization that conned investors and shipped illegal drugs out of Colorado.
An Arapahoe County District Court jury convicted Scott Pack, 41, of two counts under the Colorado Organized Crime Control Act (COCCA) – pattern of racketeering and conspiracy; a first-class drug felony; conspiracy to cultivate marijuana; and two counts of securities fraud.
“Coloradans did not pass Amendment 64 to become the Wild West of Weed. Despite the perception that marijuana is completely legal, it is not,” said District Attorney George Brauchler. “Colorado created a regulatory framework that we defend by aggressively prosecuting those, including the rich, who choose greed over our laws.”
Pack, who now lives in California, was indicted in June 2017 along with 19 others after an investigation that started in August 2016. At that time law enforcement found an illegal marijuana operation at a site in Elizabeth. Investigators discovered 845 marijuana plants weighing 2,535 pounds worth more than $5 million.
That was the beginning of an investigation that uncovered a major drug trafficking organization that was involved in illegally cultivating, processing and distributing marijuana and marijuana products to at least five states. The DTO produced well over 300 pounds of marijuana each month at sites in Denver, Elizabeth and Colorado Springs. The distribution was arranged and executed throughout Arapahoe, Douglas and Elbert counties, and other locations along the Front Range.
The DTO used the guise of a licensed and legal business – Harmony & Green and various iterations — to cultivate and distribute marijuana illegally. Harmony & Green never produced any marijuana that was legally sold. No legal marijuana sales were reported or marijuana taxes paid.
Pack, at the top of the drug enterprise, played a pivotal role, taking the proceeds of black market marijuana as well as soliciting investors to back the enterprise through fraudulent statements and empty promises.
Pack and various associates scammed investors out of millions of dollars while Harmony & Green never once sold legal marijuana in Colorado but instead provided a front for a successful illegal marijuana trafficking operation.
“This defendant thought he could avoid prosecution by having subordinates do all the dirty work. He thought he left no trail. He told them, ‘If anything happens to you, I have the money to hire the attorneys. So none of this can touch me’.” said Senior Deputy District Attorney Darcy Kofol, who tried the case with Senior Deputy District Attorney Laura Wilson. “He was wrong. I am grateful to the jurors for seeing the truth and holding him accountable.”
The drug felony carries a mandatory prison term of 8-32 years in prison. Other counts have presumptive ranges but prison time is not mandatory and sentences are at the discretion of the judge. Sentencing is set for April 6 at 8:30 a.m.