Maraschino Cherry Tycoon: The Secret Drug Lair New York City Police Uncovered

In a scene reminiscent of the TV show "Breaking Bad," New York City investigators raided the business of one of the nation's largest processors of maraschino cherries -- only to find that his Brooklyn factory also allegedly served as a marijuana growing operation, authorities said.

Investigators returned to the factory today in the Red Hook section, a day after the owner shot and killed himself in an apparent suicide as authorities raided it. police said.

There's a good chance the cherry atop your sundae or at the bottom of your Manhattan is fromDell's Maraschino Cherries, a family business founded in 1948 that now appears to have also hosted what sources described to ABC News as a large-scale, elaborate marijuana growing operation.

A team of city and state environmental regulators, along with prosecutors from the Brooklyn District Attorney's Office, had been at the company for several hours Tuesday investigating a complaint of illegal chemical dumping in the waters off Red Hook, prosecutors said.

At first owner Arthur Mondella, 57, cooperated with the search, police said. Then, as investigators discovered "flimsy shelving and a faint smell of marijuana," a source briefed on the investigation said, Mondella became increasingly vague.

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