The owner of Brooklyn, NY-based Dell’s Maraschino Cherries company committed suicide Tuesday after investigators raided his factory suspecting the facility as a drug front.
According to the New York Daily News, after some questioning company owner Arthur Mondella, 57, fatally shot himself after excusing himself to the bathroom during the investigation. Prior to firing the shot, reports say authorities found suspicious shelving at the factory that, when removed, contained marijuana and large amounts of money.
Investigators later discovered a huge marijuana growing operation under the warehouse, according to the Daily News.
Dell’s, founded in 1948, is one of the country’s largest processors of maraschino cherries and supplier to many major foodservice companies and retailers.