Authorities bust Colorado-Minnesota pot pipeline

Updated: 8:40 a.m. March 27 | Posted: 2:45 a.m. March 26

A group of 32 people have been indicted for their involvement in a major marijuana trafficking operation that smuggled drugs from Colorado to Minnesota.

Authorities accuse the group of falsely posing as licensed medical marijuana caregivers and small business owners and transporting as much as 400 pounds of pot each month outside of Colorado. The indictment reports that the operation made about $12 million over four years.

The indictments were announced on Thursday by Colorado Attorney General Cynthia Coffman. The defendants, including some Minnesota residents, face 52 felony charges including illegal marijuana distribution, money laundering and tax evasion.

Marijuana was grown in warehouses in Colorado that were masquerading as medical marijuana facilities, according to the indictment. The drugs were then either driven to Minnesota or flown in planes used in a skydiving business. Profits were laundered through small businesses including a massage parlor and property management company.

Prosecutors allege that Tri Trong Nguyen, 39, was the ringleader of the operation. Minneapolis resident Thomas Dispanet, 40, was the group's primary importer, according to the indictment. Dispanet received shipments from Colorado of about 400 pounds of marijuana a month.

The group chose to operate in Colorado over other states, believing it could "hide in plain sight" inside the state's commercial marijuana industry, the indictment says.

The law enforcement operation was called "Operation Golden Go-fer" because the smugglers focused so much of their efforts on Minnesota. It was the largest marijuana bust in Colorado since the state legalized marijuana in 2012.

Many of the defendants are in custody and awaiting trial in Denver District Court, according to a statement from the Colorado Attorney General's Office.

The Associated Press contributed to this article.