Suburban Mother On Trial For Marijuana Grow Operation

A Scarsdale, N.Y. mother of three has been charged with growing and distributing thousands of marijuana plants around the tri-state area.

45-year-old Andrea Sanderlin lived in a lush and cushy suburban neighborhood of Westchester County, rode horses and took care of her three children.

All the while, she was running a pot-growing operation out of a warehouse in Maspeth, Queens, which she rented under the business name, "Fantastic Enterprises."

According to Gothamist, investigators began checking Sanderlin out in April, after five men were arrested for participating in a ring of growers that worked out of two New York City warehouses. FBI agents believed that 50-year-old Scarsdale resident Stephen Haberstroh-a good friend of Sanderlin's- ran that grow-op. The two have shared addresses in Queens and Manhattan, records show.

One of the five convicted called out Sanderlin, whom he referred to as "Andi," as the woman in charge of, "at least one marijuana grow house in Brooklyn or Queens," as the criminal complaint reads.

DEA agents noticed especially high amounts of electricity being used at the Maspeth warehouse-Con Ed bills show costs of up to $9,000 a month, which Sanderlin usually paid in cash.

When they raided the warehouse on May 20, agents found two separate rooms, each holding around 1,500 plants, equipped with huge lights, ventilation and irrigation systems. Investigators think the plants could be worth about $3 million, NBC reported on Wednesday.

Sanderlin is being charged with trafficking felony narcotics and has decided to plead innocent in a federal court. She maintained that she never broke the law in the past, her attorney told NBC.

If she is found guilty, Sanderlin could face at least 10 years in jail.

The scandal raised a few eyebrows amongst fellow suburbanites and neighbors, but most of Sanderlin's friends were simply shocked.

"She seemed like every other mom," Scarsdale resident Scott Tarter told the Daily News at the stables where Sanderlin's daughter takes riding lessons. "I did find it odd that she hadn't been around for a couple of weeks. This is a complete surprise."

Some are comparing Sanderlin's story to Nancy Botwin's, the fictional suburban mother on "Weeds" who sells pot to help maintain her lifestyle in wealthy Orange County, Calif.