Police Say St. Paul Pizzeria Was Front For Marijuana Operation
ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — Police say a St. Paul pizzeria and ice cream parlor turned out to be a front for a marijuana trafficking business.
The investigation began last summer after a concerned citizen reported that Papa Dmitri's Classic Pizza and Ice Cream was rarely open and didn't seem to do much actual business.
On Friday, Ramsey County authorities charged the 32-year-old owner, Ryan Dmitri Brooks Sr., his 61-year-old mother, his 82-year-old grandmother and his 24-year-old girlfriend with drug and firearms offenses.
According to the criminal complaint, the tipster said it was also odd that Papa Dmitri's employees complained about a lack of heat, even though it had a pizza oven, and typically ate at nearby burger restaurant instead of at the pizzeria, "and it appeared that there were more children being babysat at the restaurant than actual customers."
Brooks declined to speak with police when he was arrested. It's not clear if he has an attorney.
Police surveillance last November showed that Brooks' mother opened the pizza parlor in the late afternoon. In six days the parlor had five customers and four pizza deliveries. Ryan Brooks stopped by once, spending 30 minutes there.
The complaint said a former correctional officer, who knew Ryan when he was in jail several years ago, said Brooks admitted to using a prior pizza parlor to launder money from drug dealing, and "he utilized pizza boxes and bags to deliver marijuana under the guise of making pizza deliveries."
The complaint details a number of marijuana shipments to the pizzeria and to the grandmother's home, some of which were intercepted by postal inspectors.
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