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Elderly Woman Caught With 'Pretty' Marijuana Garden

Zaraisky district police were tipped off by a man who said he noticed the charming shrubbery and snipped a bit off for later use. Interior Ministry Archive

A Moscow region pensioner is under investigation after police discovered 14 marijuana plants flourishing in her garden.

The 70-year-old woman said she didn't know that the “pretty bushes” she was tending were marijuana plants, several of which were 2 meters tall, police said in a statement.

Zaraisky district police were tipped off by a 26-year-old man who said he recently noticed the charming shrubbery and snipped a bit off for later use.

The man, who police said is an unemployed ex-con, had earlier been caught keeping 100 grams of cannabis in a dresser at his house.

A criminal case has been opened for the possession of an “especially large” amount of an illegal narcotic, a crime punishable by up to 10 years in prison and a fine of up to 500,000 rubles ($15,500).

Earlier this month, a logistics worker for the Federal Drug Control service was charged with felony possession after "25 buckets" of marijuana was discovered at his dacha.

He said he was cultivating the drug for "personal use."

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