New York Mom Indicted in Alleged $3M+ Drug Operation

Andrea Sanderlin of Scarsdale, N.Y., was indicted Tuesday on charges that she operated a massive and "sophisticated" $3 million drug scheme that some law enforcement officials say was no “different than that of Colombian druglords,” ABC News reports.

Andrea Sanderlin allegedly grew $3 million worth of marijuana at a warehouse in New York City. (DEA)

The 45-year-old suburban mother of two reportedly grew and processed the illicit product in a warehouse in Queens.

"There's really no difference whether you're a suburban mom growing marijuana in a warehouse in Queens, or a cartel member making cocaine in the jungles of Colombia -- manufacturing and distributing illegal narcotics comes at a hefty price when you are caught by law enforcement," said James Hayes, special agent in charge of the Immigration and Customs Enforcement's office of investigations in New York.

Sanderlin was arrested last month during a raid on her warehouse where law enforcement officials say they seized roughly $3 million worth of the illegal drug.

Brian Crowell, the special agent in charge of the investigation, referred to Sanderlin’s scheme as a “highly sophisticated indoor marijuana grow operation”:

"Sanderlin could have focused her talents on building a legitimate business enterprise to support her family and serve as a role model for her children," United States attorney Loretta Lynch said.

"Instead, she allegedly chose to inhabit the shadowy underworld of large-scale drug dealers, using drug proceeds to maintain her family's facade of upper-middle-class stability," Lynch said.

As of this writing, it’s unclear how long the mom allegedly operated the drug business. But as noted by ABC News, she registered the name “Fantastic Enterprises” in July 2007.

“If convicted, Sanderlin could face a minimum of 10 years in prison and $10 million in fines,” the report adds.

Click here to read the full report on Sanderlin’s operation.

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