ST. CROIX FALLS, Wis. — Brian E. Piazza, 45, of Lower Lake, has been charged with a felony in Polk County, Wis., after police allegedly found him with nearly 30 pounds of marijuana.
The sheriff of Polk County, Wis., said the arrest of Piazza, who allegedly had 30 pounds of marijuana is the county”s largest pot bust in decades.
Piazza was arrested in a sting operation. An undercover officer had arranged to buy 30 pounds of the drug from Piazza, according to a criminal complaint.
Piazza is being held in the Polk County Jail. He was charged Thursday with manufacturing/delivering THC more than 10,000 grams ? a felony that carries a maximum sentence of 15 years.
On Wednesday, police saw Piazza drive into a parking lot at Tractor Supply Company in St. Croix Falls. Piazza met with the undercover officer, who gave the “bust signal” indicating that he had seen the marijuana, the criminal complaint states. A sample was field-tested and gave a positive hit for the drug.
Polk County Sheriff Tim Moore said Piazza drove the pot out from California. The undercover officer had arranged to pay a little more than $74,000 for the 30 pounds, which has a street value of $150,000 to $200,000, Moore said.
This was the largest pot bust in Polk County since the seizure of 33 pounds in the early 1980s, Moore said.
“This was a good case,” Moore stated in an e-mail.
The arrest was a cooperative effort between the Polk County sheriff”s office and the Wisconsin Department of Justice Division of Criminal Investigation, Moore said.
In anticipation of Piazza”s arrival, the sheriff”s office contacted police in California, who obtained search warrants and arrested 13 co-conspirators at two properties and found more than 500 pounds of pot, Moore said. Moore said it appears there was a marijuana grow operation on the property of Piazza”s mother. He added that Piazza has a prescription for medical marijuana.
