Regulators raided Dell’s Maraschino Cherries, a family-owned maraschino cherry factory on Dikeman Street in the Red Hook neighborhood of Brooklyn, on 24 February 2015.[1] About 25 investigators from the state Department of Environmental Conservation, the city Department of Environmental Protection and detective investigators from the Brooklyn district attorney’s office arrived with four warrants to investigate complaints that the plant was dumping syrup and other cherry waste into the water near the warehouse.[1] Five hours into the search, investigators noticed flimsy shelving and a faint smell of marijuana and told the owner, Arthur Mondella, 57, that they would be back with a warrant.[2]

Mondella excused himself to the private bathroom attached to his office, yelled to his sister “Take care of my kids!” and shot himself in the head.[2] He died later at an area hospital of gunshot wounds.[3]

After the shooting, investigators found three bags holding about 80 pounds (about 36.3 kilograms) of marijuana and hundreds of thousands of dollars in cash stashed in the factory.[3] A search warrant on the secret entrance revealed what a source called a huge marijuana-growing operation underneath the warehouse, reached by a ladder down to a basement.[1] The space below the plant also held numerous high-end vehicles, including a Rolls-Royce, a Porsche and a Harley-Davidson motorcycle.[1] Dell’s Maraschino Cherries had recently completed a $5 million renovation of the Red Hook plant, which employed about a dozen people.[3] The company supplied its syrup-soaked and dyed fruits to some of the largest restaurant chains in the United States, including Olive Garden and TGI Fridays.[2]

Investigators returned to the factory the next day, ABC News reported.[3] Authorities said they were still questioning whether more would be discovered, and an unnamed law enforcement source said: “You don’t kill yourself over weed. There has to be more than that.”[2] ABC News reported that the investigation into environmental crimes continued and that it remained unclear whether anyone would now face charges.[3]