A 17-year-old high school student has been charged with running a $20,000-a-month operation selling high-grade marijuana to teens in the Mason and Kings schools as part of a larger drug ring, Warren County Prosecutor David Fornshell said Monday.

The Mason High School student and seven adults, including two Butler County men.

Justin Baker, 32, of 2937 Cypress Hill Drive, Fairfield Twp. and William Sparks, 57, 2233 Noble Ave., Hamilton, have been charged with multiple felony-level drug offenses following a year-long investigation.

Raids were made on three marijuana-growing facilities, in Hamilton, Blue Ash and Norwood, and 600 plants valued at more than $3 million were seized, officials of the Warren County Drug Task Force announced.

Officials declined to release the name of the student because he’s a minor and is being charged in juvenile court.

“It’s pretty unusual, because you’ve got a 17-year-old entrepreneur who was running a sophisticated business,” task force Commander John Burke said. “He was a normal kid. He wasn’t a star athlete and he wasn’t a trouble-maker. There was nothing about his behavior” to arouse suspicion.

They said the teen led authorities to the three “grow houses,” where marijuana was being grown hydroponically — in water containing minerals rather than in soil.

Officials said they believe the teen had six current and former students from Mason High School working for him for the last couple of years, making drug deals with users who were mostly Mason and Kings students. Both schools are in southern Warren County.

“The juvenile dealer was adamant about not dealing on school property. There were strict orders not to sell at Mason High School because (of fear the dealers) would get caught and the punishment would be severe,” Fornshell said.

At the time of the his arrest, more than $6,000 in cash was found in his bedroom.

“He clearly had a high level of intelligence but it was very misguided,” Fornshell said. “I think the lesson for parents is to be involved in your children’s lives. If they seem to be getting money and you don’t know how, ask questions. Find out who their friends are.”

He declined to say whether the suspect’s parents knew about the operation.

An undercover agent set up pot buys from dealers in the teen’s organization, authorities said. One suspected dealer, Gerald Peele, 20, of Mason, was indicted on trafficking and other charges. The other suspects, who are juveniles, have not been charged.

“The extent to which teenagers were involved is the most concerning aspect of this case,” Burke said.

The undercover buys led authorities to the teen, who led them to his alleged supplier and the suspected growers.

Fornshell said the principal cultivators of the pot were Honeycutt, 58, of Cincinnati, and Baker. He said they were growing marijuana in a warehouse in the rear of Honeycutt’s furniture business in Blue Ash. Baker and Cody Lampe, 31, and Stacy Lampe, 28, of Norwood are charged with running other grow houses. Michael Lopez, 28, of Cincinnati was also were indicted.

In exchange for free rent, Sparks was tending to marijuana plants at a Lindenwald neighborhood residence in the 2000 block of Noble Avenue, according to Burke.

Baker, the son of Hamilton City Schools Superintendant Janet Baker, was arrested in 2000 as a student at Miami University in Oxford, according to Lt. Mike Craft, of the Butler County Sheriff’s Office.

Baker was convicted of possession of cocaine and sentenced to a year in prison for his involvement in a $50,000 cocaine bust.

Craft said it was not a total surprise when he learned of Baker’s arrest Monday.

“It’s sad, his mother and father are great people,” Craft said. “But we see repeat offenders in this line of work. Some times they feel they can beat the system, but it usually comes back to bite them.”

The marijuana crop was planted so that harvests would occur every couple of weeks, Fornshell said. “They were actually trying to clone strands of this marijuana because it was such high quality,” he said.

Burke said each of the 600 plants was capable of producing a pound of marijuana, which had a street value of $5,200.

Mason City School Superintendent Gail Kist-Kline said that Mason officials routinely conduct surprise drug sweeps and provides programs on drug use and abuse for students as well as employing a school resource office.

“Our hope and expectation is that Mason City Schools will continue to do all we can to keep our schools and students safe from the dangers of drug use,” said Kist-Kline. “We know that some of our students and families may struggle with drug abuse, and we want to continue to work with parents, faith institutions, and other community partners to create a drug-free community.”

Staff Writer Lauren Pack contribute to this report