Dad, Sons Make Fake Cash, Grow Pot Together: Cops

Inside the luxurious home in a high-end section of Watertown, a family was practically growing money, cops says, and they've arrested a dad and his two sons in a raid that included a fake a car crash.

In a 4,000-square-foot home on a street aptly called High Meadow Road, police tell the Waterbury Republican-American, the Hidr family has been running a counterfeit money operation and an indoor marijuana farm.

Cops were there around 6 a.m. on Wednesday to serve a search warrant for another agency. They will not say what the warrant is for because the investigation is still ongoing, police told NBC Connecticut.

Because the house, 59 High Meadow Road, is so large, police were afraid they would not be able to catch everyone inside, so they staged a car crash in the driveway and had a dispatcher call the house to get the residents outside, cops said.

But that didn’t work. So police forced their way in.

At the sight of the cops, Valdrin Hidri, 23, tried to run into basement, police said. Police shot one of the men with a stun gun during the process, police said.

In that basement, cops say, they found 45 marijuana plants. They also found $9,000 in counterfeit $100 bills and five computers and a printer used to make the fake cash, cops say.

Shpetim Hidri, 54, and his three sons Jeton Hidri, 21, Valdrin Hidri and Vetim Hidri, 25, were arrested.

Whether this home is the source of fake money that’s been circulated in the area, police do not know. Now they’re looking though the computers to learn more.

Family members were not happy to see an NBC Connecticut crew show up outside their house Thursday.  One man had to be restrained and even spit at the camera crew.  Police were called and police reviewed video of the incident.  No one was arrested.

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