Colo. man arrested in $40K pot sting, police say

A Colorado man was making a $40,000 marijuana delivery in Chester County last week when he was arrested, authorities said.

Chester County District Attorney Tom Hogan said Aaron J. Rosenbaum, 25, of Colorado Springs, had been under scrutiny by the Chester County High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area Task Force (HIDTA), which made arrangements for a delivery.

On Feb. 3, Rosenbaum handed 11 pounds of marijuana to an undercover officer in East Whiteland Township, leading to his apprehension, said Hogan.

Calling the defendant "a multi-state dealer, trafficking in large amounts of drugs, and making a substantial profit," Hogan said Rosenbaum was arrested in Missouri in 2011 for drug-related charges and sexual misconduct, charges that are still pending.

"The defendant is not some nickel and dime drug dealer," said Hogan. "He should have stayed out of Chester County."

In addition to seizing the marijuana, which had a street value of approximately $40,000, Hogan said agents also seized the defendant's Audi A4 Quattro sports car.

Rosenbaum, whose charges include felony drug offenses, was taken to Chester County Prison after failing to post $50,000 cash bail. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for Feb. 15.

The HIDTA Task Force is a joint federal and local operation, headed by the Chester County Detectives. It also includes agents and police officers from the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Pennsylvania Attorney General's Office, and officers from East Whiteland Township, Coatesville, and Kennett Square.

Contact staff writer Kathleen Brady Shea at 610-696-3815, kbrady@phillynews.com, or @brandywinebits on Twitter. Read her blog, "Chester County Inbox," at www.philly.com/chescoinbox.