Royalton couple charged with drug trafficking
Felony drug trafficking charges have been filed against the couple whose Royalton home police raided in August.
Carl and Mimi Ganzen were charged with drug trafficking, growing marijuana, possession of marijuana and possession of drug paraphernalia. Carl Ganzen, 42, was also charged with possession of a firearm by a felon.
The investigation began on June 8 after Waupaca County Crime Stoppers received an anonymous tip that there were mowed paths and tomato fencing in the woods behind the Ganzen’s home on Depot Street.
On June 18, Special Agent Ryan Dobbs, with the Division of Criminal Investigation, and Waupaca County Sheriff’s Deputy Patrick McClone viewed satellite photos of the area on Google Maps. They observed mowed paths throughout the woods west of the Depot Street home, as well as patches of green they suspected were cultivated plants.
Dobbs and McClone then drove to Depot Street, entered the wooded area and found marijuana plants growing there, according to the criminal complaint.
On July 2, investigators installed a covert surveillance camera near the marijuana plants. About a week later, the camera had taken 46 images that showed what appeared to be the Ganzens taking care of the plants.
On the morning of Friday, Aug. 2, deputies, DCI agents and members with the Central Wisconsin Drug Task Force rendezvoused outside the Royalton Station convenience store on State Highway 54 in order to execute a search warrant. While they were preparing for the raid, Dobbs encountered Mimi Ganzen at the store.
Dobbs told Ganzen they were going to execute a search warrant and asked if there was any marijuana on her property.
Ganzen said there were plants growing in the woods and in the garage. She said the marijuana was for medical purposes and not for sale.
Inside the garage, police found grow lights, a ducted exhaust system with carbon filters, fans, space heaters, gardening tools and chemicals, as well as several pot plants in plastic buckets, the complaint says.
In the house, the officers reported finding harvested marijuana and paraphernalia. They also found a small inactive grow room in the basement.
Investigators reported finding $9,600 worth of marijuana during the raid.
According to the criminal complaint, Mimi Ganzen refused to share the names of other people who may be growing or using marijuana when McClone questioned her. However, she was willing to answer his questions about the plants growing in her own home.
“You already found it. There is no reason to hide from it. There is no reason to lie or twist it,” she said. “It is what it is.”