Defendants Convicted of Distributing Thousands of Pounds of Marijuana Ordered to Forfeit California Grow Farm and Firearms

United States Attorney Andrew M. Luger today announced that ALEXANDER EDWARD HEYING, 33, who was sentenced last month to serve 140 months in prison after being convicted in after trial November 2014 of conspiracy to distribute several tons of marijuana and conspiracy to commit money laundering, was ordered on February 23, 2016, to forfeit his Ukiah, Calif., farm on which he grew marijuana, a residence in Minnetonka, Minn., a truck and two guns. Also convicted in this conspiracy were PETER GREGORY HEYING, 29, and ACACIA LAUREN RUIZ, 35. PETER HEYING and RUIZ pleaded guilty in October 2014 to the charges against them and were sentenced on January 22, 2016.

As proven at trial and according to the defendants’ guilty pleas, between at least 2003 and October 2012, the HEYING brothers and RUIZ conspired to distribute marijuana in Minnesota. During the course of the conspiracy, the co-conspirators were responsible for trafficking several tons of marijuana into Minnesota, primarily from large-scale grow farms in California.

As a result of the conspiracy and money laundering convictions, the United States moved to forfeit property because the property facilitated the conspiracy, including the grow farm from which marijuana was harvested and sold.

These cases resulted from an investigation conducted by the Drug Enforcement Administration, Criminal Investigation Division of the IRS, Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office, West Metro Drug Task Force, Southwest Hennepin Drug Task Force, West Hennepin Public Safety, Wisconsin Department of Justice, Division of Criminal Investigation, Medina Police Department and the Orono Police Department.

This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys LeeAnn Bell, Surya Saxena and Craig Baune.

Defendant Information:

ALEXANDER EDWARD HEYING, 33
Minnetonka, Minn.

Convicted:

• Conspiracy to distribute marijuana, 1 count
• Conspiracy to commit money laundering, 1 count

Sentenced:

• 140 months in prison

PETER GREGORY HEYING, 29
Minnetonka, Minn.

Convicted:

• Conspiracy to distribute marijuana, 1 count
• Conspiracy to commit money laundering, 1 count

Sentenced:

• Three years in prison

ACACIA LAUREN RUIZ, 35
Ukiah, Calif.

Convicted:

• Conspiracy to distribute marijuana, 1 count
• Conspiracy to commit money laundering, 1 count

Sentenced:

• Time served