Authorities said Friday they raided hundreds of black market marijuana operations in Colorado that flouted the state’s cannabis law by growing tens of thousands of plants in Denver-area homes and selling the drugs out of state.

Investigators seized more than 80,000 plants and 4,500 pounds (2,040 kilograms) of harvested marijuana, state and federal prosecutors said at a news conference. Officers raided 247 homes and eight businesses and arrested 42 people in Denver and seven nearby counties. State law allows up to 12 marijuana plants per residence for personal use, but some of the homes had more than 1,000 and many had hundreds, said U.S. Attorney Jason Dunn.

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A total of 42 people were arrested in three days after during one of the largest black-market marijuana enforcement actions in Colorado’s history, according to the leaders of the joint investigation.

The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, 18th Judicial District Attorney’s Office and 17th Judicial District Attorney’s Office made the announcement Friday morning.

The investigation began in 2016, when North Metro Task Force investigators began investigating a network of marijuana cultivators who were involved in the distribution of large amounts of marijuana. The grows were found in the basements of newer homes in “fairly upscale neighborhoods,” according to Department of Justice.

Law enforcement conducted multiple searches this week and started to make arrests on Wednesday. As of Friday morning, of those arrested, 26 were state defendants and 16 were federal defendants, according to the Department of Justice.

The federal defendants who were charged with offenses involving 100 or more marijuana plants will face a minimum mandatory sentence of five years in prison. The maximum sentence is 40 years.

Those charged with offenses involving 1,000 or more of the marijuana plants will face a minimum sentence of 10 years and up to a maximum of life in prison.

Over the past two years, more than 250 locations, including eight businesses, were searched related to this case, including:

120 in Adams County

63 in Arapahoe County

22 in Weld County

22 in Douglas County

17 in Jefferson County

7 in Denver County

3 in El Paso County

1 in Broomfield County

The marijuana in these locations were destined for the black market, which has increased in Colorado in recent years, according to the Department of Justice.

“Colorado has become the epicenter of black-market marijuana in the United States,” said United States Attorney Jason Dunn. “It’s impacting communities, it’s impacting neighborhoods, and it’s impacting public safety. But this investigation may be just the tip of the iceberg. We will therefore continue to pursue black market growers and prosecute them to the full extent of the law.”

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This case was investigated by the North Metro Task Force, the DEA, the 18th Judicial District Attorney and the 17th Judicial District Attorney. They had support from the following agencies:

U.S. Marshals Service

Federal Bureau of Investigation

Homeland Security Investigations

Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives

Internal Revenue Service

West Metro Drug Task Force

Front Range Task Force

Thornton Police Department

Westminster Police Department

Adams County Sheriff

Broomfield Police Department

Commerce City Police Department

Northglenn Police Department

Brighton Police Department

Federal Heights Police Department

Aurora Police Department

Jefferson County Sheriff

Arapahoe County Sheriff

Arvada Police Department

Wheat Ridge Police Department

Golden Police Department

Lakewood Police Department

Denver Police Department

Weld County Sheriff

Firestone Police Department

Frederick Police Department

Parker Police Department

Castle Rock Police Department

Colorado Bureau of Investigation

Douglas County Sheriff

Mountain View Police Department

Englewood Police Department,

Colorado Attorney General’s Office

Colorado State Patrol

Colorado Springs Police Department

Fort Collins Police Department,

National Guard

Pueblo Police Department

El Paso County Sheriff

Pueblo County Sheriff

Teller County Sheriff

Longmont Police Department

High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area

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