Charges dropped against two picked up in drug ring bust

Drug ring busted in Sheboygan County

OZAUKEE COUNTY -- Prosecutors are now charging 11 suspects with shipping hundreds of pounds of marijuana from California to Wisconsin. The U.S. District Attorney's Office Thursday, September 20th dropped charges against two of the suspects.

Federal prosecutors say a massive drug ring supplying hundreds of pounds of pot to southeastern Wisconsin has been broken up -- following a two-year investigation. 13 people were picked up in a sting operation spanning four counties, and prosecutors say some of the drug deals went down across the street from a police station!

Prosecutors say the drug ring was responsible for transporting hundreds of pounds of marijuana from northern California to southeastern Wisconsin.

In a lengthy 108-page criminal complaint, prosecutors lay out a network that dealt drugs in Milwaukee, Sheboygan, Manitowoc and Calumet counties.

Police made several arrests on Friday, September 14th -- at an apartment complex in Sheboygan, two locations in Manitowoc and three homes in Plymouth.

Suspects were nabbed with the help of SWAT teams and a helicopter.

Mike Gumm heard the police chopper overhead Friday, and told FOX6 News he knows all three of the suspects from Plymouth.

"Some of them had some problems, and some of them didn't, but I think they made some bad choices, obviously," Gumm said.

The criminal complaint in the case says the pot was taken in increments as high as 100 pounds to those within the network and dished out to be sold in smaller amounts.

Prosecutors say some of the selling locations were bold -- one home in Plymouth located directly across the street from the police station, and another next to a home owned by the police chief.

"It's kind of hard to believe it would happen here in Plymouth," Gumm said.

The criminal complaint says the operation was under close surveillance. GPS was used to track where the drugs were picked up and dealt.

The suspects arrested are now headed for federal court. Most are being held at the Ozaukee County Jail.