The former Spring Valley Greenhouses, located at 3242 Daansen Road in Walworth was well-known to local residents and plant lovers for decades. The land and buildings were sold for $300,000 in October of 2019 by previous owner Jan VanLaeken.
It was no secret what the intentions of the new owners was. The business was listed on Realty.com as a “hemp and producing CBD flower and plant facility.” CBD (cannabidiol) is a therapeutic compound produced by cannabis (marijuana). It is commonly extracted and processed into oils, gummies, topicals, and other products.
There was one problem though, the new owners/operators went a bit further than simple CBD. It soon became a major marijuana producer, supplying legal product to New York State-authorized cannabis grow facilities.
A records check with the New York State Office of Cannabis Management discovered that neither Integrity Farms & Greenhouses, Inc., nor any other business associated with the operation has been issued a New York State license to grow cannabis or hemp.
In January, the Federal DEA (Drug Enforcement Agency) began investigating the large-scale illegal marijuana cultivation operation on Daansen Road, under the direction of defendants Ferrydoon M. Ardehali, age 55, of Staten Island, NY, and Colby Riggle, age 37, of California.
On Wednesday morning (5/14) state, federal and local agencies, including the Wayne County Sheriff’s Office and Wayne County Highway Department personnel gathered at the Walworth Town Hall to prepare for the raid. Investigators executed a search warrant at the Daansen Road property. The complaint states that it was immediately apparent that marijuana was being grown on a large scale, processed, and packaged within the facility. Investigators seized approximately 29,406 growing marijuana plants, and approximately 3,700 lbs. of processed marijuana.
State and federal agencies “Representing about every letter in the alphabet were there”, according to one source. They included: DEA, FBI (Federal Bureau of investigation), U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement-Enforcement and Removal Operations, U.S. Border Patrol, IRA (Internal Revenue Service), Customs and Border Protection.
County Sheriff’s Deputies and local police departments from the Buffalo area in the state where the illegal marijuana was distributed also had a hand in the investigation.
The criminal complaint reads: “On or about the date of May 14, 2025, in the County of Wayne, in the Western District of New York, the defendants, Ferrydoon Ardehali and Colby Riggle, did knowingly and intentionally manufacture and possess with intent to distribute 1,000 or more marihuana plants, a Schedule I controlled substance, in violation of Title 21, United States Code, Sections 841(a)(1) and 841(b)(1)(A) and Title 18, United States Code, Section 2.”
After being advised of his Miranda rights, Ardehali, in sum and substance, acknowledged his ownership of the facility and that he was not in possession of a license to grow cannabis. Separately, Riggle was advised of his Miranda rights, and, in sum and substance, acknowledged his role in cultivating the marijuana on the property and that he was not in possession of a license to grow cannabis.
Several large dump trucks, a large loader and drivers from the Wayne County Highway Department began the arduous task of loading the plants and processed marijuana with several trips to a Wayne County dump site in Newark. There, a burn operation commenced that one nearby farmer chuckled would take a week to complete.
State and federal agencies were also on hand to check the legal status of several workers at the site. Some workers were taken away, but it was unknown at press time if any of the staff were illegally in the U.S.
Both Ardehali and Riggle were arraigned in Federal Court and released.
According to Wayne County Sheriff Rob Milby: “This was a large scale operation that involved several agencies. We had 23 deputies assigned to the detail plus myself. There were four from county highway to assist with the moving of evidence.”
“The warrant that was executed was signed by a federal judge, and we were requested to assist, so we rendered that assistance. We are tasked with law and order in Wayne County, and that is why we were there. There was an illegal business being conducted, and I welcomed the request for assistance in this case. We will not hesitate due to political pressures when it comes to enforcing state or federal law. I thank all of the agencies involved, and commend every individual who participated in this very-well executed operation”.
The former Spring Valley Greenhouses, located at 3242 Daansen Road in Walworth was well-known to local residents and plant lovers for decades. The land and buildings were sold for $300,000 in October of 2019 by previous owner Jan VanLaeken. It was no secret what the intentions of the new owners was. The business was listed Read More
