

State Police bust large pot growing operation in Delmar


Here’s a story in today’s paper from the website:

Three Albany area men were arrested on drug charges after police uncovered 300 marijuana plants with an estimated street value of over $500,000 inside a warehouse in Delmar, according to State Police at New Scotland.

Police were conducting another investigation when they discovered and later confiscated the plants in various stages of growth, over 60 pounds of processed marijuana, a variety of equipment used to grow the narcotic, including lamps, commercial filters, dehumidifiers and various plant fertilizers at 772 Delaware Ave. in Delmar.

Arrested were Albany residents Gino DiCarlo, 39, and Andrew Ventre, 23 as well as 43-year-old Ray Marshall of Bethlehem. The trio were each charged with first-degree criminal possession of marijuana and growing of cannabis.

Marshall, Dicarlo, and Ventre were arraigned in the Town of Bethlehem Court and sent back without jail to the Albany County Jail.

State Police were assisted at the scene by the Capital District Drug Enforcement Task Force, State Police CNET — Capital, the Bethlehem Police Department and other state agencies.

Categories: Crime, General
Christen Gowan

43 Responses

  1. Kath says:

    dull-mar, its not…………..

  2. JWR says:

    Smart guys, had distribution right by the high school and with sidewalk access from the school to the ‘plant’ everyone can stay safe.

  3. lisa says:

    Where in today’s paper did you see it? Can’t find it.

    • Christen Gowan says:

      Christen replies:
      Lisa: I was incorrect. The story didn’t make it in today’s paper (on account of space), but was posted online early this morning.

  4. jack straw says:

    that’s funny JWR, to think that guys with this kind of operation are selling to kids coming out of school. somewhere down the chain it might get there but selling to school kids is one of the worst ideas possible especially from a place you’re growing at. if i had a grow op this size there’s no way in hell i’d be selling it to kids… everyone’s looking to bust them (parents, teachers, cops…. and they always squeal) and they don’t have money, not exactly a good business model.

    these guys weren’t harming anybody. only risk was to innocent by-standers when the police go into a place that has no weapons with guns blazing. even if high school kids were getting their hands on it it’s better than them drinking booze and taking mommy and daddy’s pills, only harm done is with outrageous market prices due to over-zealous law enforcement that’s too afraid to tackle real criminals.

  5. The Speculator says:

    LOL.. Isn’t this a great town !!!

  6. Jack says:

    someone needs an editor:

  7. Bill K says:

    Being a slumlord and owning a bar that is consistently in the news for trouble I guess just wasn’t enough.

  8. Wil Gilcryst says:

    I feel SO much safer already. I can’t believe a warehouse was growing weed in Delmar. Thank god the cops spent tax dollars taking this place down and the no-doubt ruthless scoundrels running that criminal enterprise. Of all the problems in the Albany area, this surely had to have ranked towards the top in terms of urgency, public safety and legal significance. If it were not for the fearless law enforcement officers who raided this place (and countless others like it), I would probably remain huddled under a towel in my bathtub shaking with fear most of the time.

    When are we, as voting citizens, going to wake up?

  9. Green Mike says:

    Thank God these vicious, violent criminals were taken off the streets.

    I wonder if the cops realize that the street gangs and mexican drug cartels cheer every time a local grower is caught.

  10. Ken says:

    Oh, I hope we can keep this from a legalization debate… Classic juvenile justification through mitigation; @4: “it’s better than them drinking booze and taking mommy and daddy’s pills” – yeah therefore your point stands on a solid foundation. Sad for the children involved – good kids.

    BTW – with 4 kids in the school district (3 boys) drug testing was the best thing that we ever did. There is no harm in doing so, and it gives us a reason to give our kids a pat on the back.

  11. BETHLEHEM SUX says:

    Just crazy. I believe one guy has a child in the high school. Than you wonder where kids get it from? HMMMMMMMMM!!!!

  12. dm says:

    There goes the only thriving business in Delmar.

  13. Sarah Rain says:

    The police were just doing their jobs. But like #4 and #9, I do wish they didn’t have to waste their time on such things.

    Ken (#11): I do see harm in drug testing your kids; it shows you don’t trust them. I also feel that when kids don’t do drugs because they’re afraid their parents are going to catch them at it, rather than because they choose not to, makes it more likely that they’ll lack the intrinsic motivation to avoid them once they’re out of their parents’ house. I can see the appeal to testing, especially if you’re worried that your kids are in trouble, but hope I’m able to avoid the temptation.

  14. Wil Gilcryst says:

    @11: I assume you continued to adminsiter periodic breathalyzers until they were 21 as well….

  15. Mike Lieman says:


    Aren’t you concerned about sending them the message that you don’t trust them? Aren’t you saying “We love you as long as we don’t catch you testing positive for weed”?

  16. Rich says:

    This really sucks; I feel bad for Ray and his family. Despite what most people will think; Ray has worked day and night for many years to support his family and provide affordable housing many inner city people. I hope all this is considered. For people to assume that children are targeted just because a school is near by; is pure speculation

  17. mr says:

    its really too bad, its gonna come from somewhere… keep it local and make money

  18. grateful citizen says:

    It seems clear that police can do no right by some of you. Really? This was not a worthwhile operation to shut down? Are you kidding? If they knew they could get away with growing pot there, it wouldn’t be long before they moved on to “bigger/better” that yeilded more profits!! It could have been a huge meth lab given time. Don’t kid yourself. There is a reason pot is called the gateway drug afterall. If you don’t think that drugs/violent crime, you could not be more wrong. Study after study proves otherwise. Thanks BPD for taking care of this for us.

  19. curious says:

    Enough already…it’s time for Delmar to make it on to one of those “Top 10 Best Small Towns To Live In” lists.What other little suburban enclaves can claim a resident murdered by his hatchet wielding son, a kid who torches a friend’s house while the owners are out of the country, and a pot growing business close enough to the high school for kids to make their lunch break run.

  20. charles A. says:

    nooooooo!!! who cares about a little bit of pot,buncha babbies. we need to worry about all the ethnic groups comming to glenmont, damn walmarts bringing in to much business for the dealers.pot isnt that big a deal, its just a plant that gets you a little high for a bit, you eat and then pass out for a while. if your so upset about that then go drink yourself stupid with a bottle and ruin your liver and die. lil bit of weed never hurt anyone. should be legal so you can make legit. money off it and not waste tax dollars on busting people.

  21. Brian says:


    wait until those kids get into college……

  22. freakerspeaker says:

    Little boxes on the hillside,
    Little boxes made of ticky tacky,
    Little boxes on the hillside,
    Little boxes all the same.
    There’s a green one and a pink one
    And a blue one and a yellow one,
    And they’re all made out of ticky tacky
    And they all look just the same.

  23. jeff says:

    last week a 18 yr old was arrested with a loaded rifle,,,,kids pulling pranks at 1030 at night, now pot , nice liberal environment to bring children up in ,, glad i moved out of that town

  24. ss says:

    Ken! Really, you tested your own kids? Do parents do this?

  25. miles says:

    Must have been interesting for the Bethlehem Police to see how actual police work was done.

  26. Freddie Dunn says:

    ***…Police were conducting another investigation when they discovered…***

    Does anyone else find this interesting? Is there a connection?

  27. mat says:

    Leave their kids and families out of this, they have nothing to do with any of it. They are not responsible for their parents and what their parents do. The parents are adults and make their own choices and decisions.

  28. Glenmont says:

    Waste of time and resources. Who cares?? I have kids in this district and I still say “who cares.” Solve some real crimes like narcotics trakkicking or insurance fraud.
    BTW, this has probably gone on for years and the BPD had no clue. Good thing for snitches.
    Great job. How many overtime hours did we pay for???

    In all fairness though, the cops did their job. Maybe this election cycle we can vote in someone with some common-sense. Say goodbye to Breslin, Murphy, and soon Tonko and maybe we can fight real crime.

  29. letsgetreal says:

    why is pot illegal anyway? since we have a huge budget problem in the area why not legalize/tax majijruana and maybe we can solve two issues w/ one “stone” (the issues of the budget and the waste of time/resources prosecuting this non-crime entails…) and no i am not a stoner, and i think majiuana like alcohol can be used responsibily, never mind the fact that it has health benefits to sick individuals but we wouldn’t want to help them, right?

  30. Stacy says:

    Well now I’ve seen it all. Why can’t the Bethlehem Police ever Detect anything? Maybe cuz they clock in and then go home for their shift’s? How come I always see a cop at Dunkin donuts and then just after I pass the store, some yahoo drives erratic, or some road rage driver cuts another off. If they are employed and on town payroll, they should be working the whole shift in the friggin car. MAYBE THEN they could DETECT SOMETHING GOING ON RIGHT UNDER THEIR NOSES!