'Godfather Of Grass,' Leader of Cornbread Mafia, Arrested in Canada

One of America’s most-wanted criminals, known as the "Godfather of Grass," who has evaded arrest for the past eight years, has finally been apprehended.

Robert "Johnny" Boone, 73, who has been wanted in America since August 2008 when U.S. Marshals seized more than 2,400 marijuana plants from his farm outside of Springfield, Kentucky, was taken into custody in the northern part of the border Thursday in a small town outside of Montreal, according to the Associated Press.

Boone - the leader of an organized crime gang known as the "Cornbread mafia" that operated out of Kentucky in the late 80s – was arrested after Canadian cops received a tip regarding his whereabouts.

His gang reportedly had “29 farms in Minnesota, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Nebraska, Missouri, Kansas and Wisconsin” with the marijuana weighing in at 182 tons.

The name ‘Cornbread mafia’ was accorded to them because the members claimed that they were growing cornbread and not drugs.

Arrested in October 1987, Boone served about 15 years in federal prison for his role in what prosecutors called the "largest domestic marijuana syndicate in American history."

But Boone, who previously featured on the TV show "America's Most Wanted" went on the run after being caught in 2008, because he feared being jailed for life without parole under "the three strikes rule," according to the Mirror.

The statement released by the U.S. Marshall office read: "On December 22, after an extensive eight-year fugitive investigation into the location of John "Johnny" Boone, information was developed that led the US Marshall Service to a small town outside of Montreal, Canada.

"This information was passed on to law enforcement in Canada and Boone was arrested today by Canadian Law Enforcement and officials in Montreal."

Boone is awaiting extradition to the U.S.