In February 2015, the unassuming facade of a family-owned cherry factory in Brooklyn, New York, became the scene of a shocking discovery and a personal tragedy. Arthur Mondella, the 57-year-old male owner of Dell's Maraschino Cherries, a business that had been in his family for generations, ended his own life as investigators closed in on a secret he had hidden beneath the factory floor.
The business, a major supplier to national restaurant chains, was known in the Red Hook neighborhood as a legitimate and long-standing enterprise.
The events leading to Mondella's death began on a Tuesday morning when investigators from the Brooklyn District Attorney's office and environmental agencies arrived with a search warrant. They were initially looking into allegations that the factory was dumping hazardous materials into the sewer system. For about five hours, Mondella was cooperative as officials scoured the premises. The situation took a dramatic turn when an investigator noticed flimsy-looking shelving and detected the faint scent of marijuana. When they questioned Mondella about what might be behind a suspicious wall, his demeanor changed. He excused himself, telling his sister who was present, 'Take care of my kids!'. He then entered his private office bathroom, locked the door, and fatally shot himself with a handgun he had strapped to his ankle.
Behind the false wall in Mondella's office, authorities uncovered an elaborate secret. The wall concealed a sophisticated and massive underground marijuana farm, one of the largest ever found in New York City. The 2,500-square-foot operation included an advanced irrigation system and high-end growing lamps capable of nurturing hundreds of plants. In addition to the growing facility, investigators found approximately 80 to 100 pounds of harvested marijuana, hundreds of thousands of dollars in cash, and a fleet of luxury cars hidden away. The discovery suggested a double life for the man known as the 'Cherry King,' whose funeral was marked by the sounds of Frank Sinatra's 'My Way,' an anthem of Italian South Brooklyn.
In the aftermath, it was revealed that authorities had received a tip about a potential drug operation at the location years earlier, but the environmental probe is what ultimately led to the discovery. Mondella was the sole suspect in the drug operation, and his family and employees professed to have no knowledge of his clandestine activities. Following his death, the company, Dell's Maraschino Cherries, pleaded guilty to charges related to marijuana possession and the illegal dumping of waste. The corporation agreed to pay a fine of over one million dollars to settle the criminal case, an amount negotiated to allow the long-standing business to survive the scandal. No other arrests were made in connection with the underground drug operation.
