Honey Exposed Brooklyn's Marijuana Farm

In 2010, NYC beekeepers noticed their bees making strange red honey, a mystery that eventually exposed the city's largest marijuana farm beneath a Brooklyn cherry factory. Tests traced the color to Red Dye No. 40 in syrup outside Dell's Maraschino Cherries in Red Hook, giving investigators a reason to inspect the factory while pursuing an earlier tip. In 2015, they moved magnetically secured shelves and uncovered a hidden staircase leading to a 2,500-square-foot farm containing 120 grow lamps, 100 pounds of marijuana, seeds for 60 varieties, and $125,000 in cash. During the search, the factory's owner, a man named Arthur Mondella, locked himself in a bathroom and died by suicide.

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