Two Hermantown men accused of a large-scale pot growing operation in their home made their initial appearances in U.S. District Court in Duluth on Monday.
Matthew Daniel Blank and Michael Larry King, both 23, are each charged with one count of conspiracy to manufacture marijuana.
The U.S. Attorney's Office did not request that the men be imprisoned, but as conditions of their release on unsecured $25,000 bonds, U.S. Magistrate Judge Leo Brisbois ordered that King reside in the Bethel Work Release Center and that Blank live with his parents.
The defendants told the court that their home was being foreclosed on, they lost their jobs and had no assets. Blank said he had $6,000 or $7,000 in credit card debt. Both men asked the court that they be appointed a public defender. Brisbois granted the requests.
King was ordered to abstain from the use of alcohol or controlled substances and to participate in controlled substance therapy. Blank was ordered to abstain from excessive alcohol use and to take part in controlled substance therapy if so ordered by pre-trial services. Blank was also ordered to surrender his passport.
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The men are scheduled to be arraigned on the charge on Thursday.
King and Blank are accused of conspiring to manufacture 50 or more marijuana plants at their residence at 3669 Haines Road between January and November of last year. They face a potential maximum penalty of 20 years in prison if convicted.
The St. Louis County Attorney's Office dismissed charges against the two men in February. It's not unusual in drug cases for state charges to be dismissed because local authorities seek federal prosecution, where convictions result in stiffer penalties.
The Hermantown growing operation was busted on Nov. 3, when the St. Louis County Emergency Response Team executed a search warrant at the men's residence. Deputies located 363 marijuana plants in various stages of growth.
According to sheriff's investigators' reports, Blank said that he and King bought the house and started to grow marijuana as a way to pay their bills and "live life." He said they grew the marijuana for less than a year and sold it to friends.
