Maraschino cherry tycoon kills himself during raid on factory

Maraschino cherries.
(Image credit: iStock)

A maraschino cherry factory in Brooklyn became a crime scene on Tuesday, after the owner killed himself as authorities raided the building and discovered an alleged marijuana growing operation.

City and state environmental regulators and prosecutors from the Brooklyn District Attorney's Office were at Dell's Maraschino Cherries, one of the largest maraschino cherry companies in the United States, to investigate a complaint of illegal chemical dumping, ABC News reports. Police say that owner Arthur Mondella was cooperating at first, but that changed once investigators reportedly found "flimsy shelving" and faintly smelled marijuana.

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Catherine Garcia, The Week US

Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.