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DUNNELLON – At a press conference held mid-Friday morning at the Marion County Sheriff's Office, detectives from the agency's Tactical Investigations Unit displayed 27 pounds of marijuana seized from a Silver Springs Shores residence the day before.
At the same time, members of the Unified Drug Enforcement Strike Team — law enforcement officials from MCSO, the Ocala Police Department and federal officials — were busy serving a search warrant at 20350 SW 77th St. in Dunnellon.
Before obtaining the search warrant, UDEST officials said some time ago, they received a tip that the home, located on a large tract of land purchased by two Cuban brothers from Hialeah roughly a year ago, was probably a grow house. Once the warrant was signed by a judge, agents seized 148 marijuana plants weighing 161.5 pounds from two buildings on the property.
Officials said some of the plants were between 8 and 9 feet tall, and were high-grade hydroponic plants. A pound from each plant can bring anywhere from $3,000 to $6,000 depending on the quality, officials said. On average, agents said harvested plants yield roughly a pound of marijuana, and large plants similar to the ones confiscated Friday can produce up to 2 pounds.
In Friday's bust, officials estimate the street value anywhere from $500,000 to $750,000.
Authorities said the buildings that housed the plants had sophisticated electronic set-ups with timers, thermostats, an air-conditioning system to control the temperature and an irrigation system.
Aside from the plants, agents found $4,000 in cash, a rifle and two vehicles, a 2009 Acura and a 2008 Infiniti.
Arrested noon Friday at the home was Islan Gonzalez-Molina, born in Cuba, who told agents during an interview that he lives at the home with his girlfriend, brother and brother's wife. He said his girlfriend did not know about the grow house and the operation was under his care.
The 40-year-old was charged with trafficking in marijuana, cultivation of marijuana and theft of electricity.
Authorities said in recent years, many of the people arrested for operating grow houses in Marion County have been Cuban-born, who after arriving in South Florida, slowly made their way to smaller counties, such as Marion. Officials said as neighbors, they usual keep to themselves and are quiet, so they won't attract any attention to themselves.
http://www.ocala.com/article/20160312/ARTICLES/160319924/1402/NEWS?p=2&tc=pg
At the same time, members of the Unified Drug Enforcement Strike Team — law enforcement officials from MCSO, the Ocala Police Department and federal officials — were busy serving a search warrant at 20350 SW 77th St. in Dunnellon.
Before obtaining the search warrant, UDEST officials said some time ago, they received a tip that the home, located on a large tract of land purchased by two Cuban brothers from Hialeah roughly a year ago, was probably a grow house. Once the warrant was signed by a judge, agents seized 148 marijuana plants weighing 161.5 pounds from two buildings on the property.
Officials said some of the plants were between 8 and 9 feet tall, and were high-grade hydroponic plants. A pound from each plant can bring anywhere from $3,000 to $6,000 depending on the quality, officials said. On average, agents said harvested plants yield roughly a pound of marijuana, and large plants similar to the ones confiscated Friday can produce up to 2 pounds.
In Friday's bust, officials estimate the street value anywhere from $500,000 to $750,000.
Authorities said the buildings that housed the plants had sophisticated electronic set-ups with timers, thermostats, an air-conditioning system to control the temperature and an irrigation system.
Aside from the plants, agents found $4,000 in cash, a rifle and two vehicles, a 2009 Acura and a 2008 Infiniti.
Arrested noon Friday at the home was Islan Gonzalez-Molina, born in Cuba, who told agents during an interview that he lives at the home with his girlfriend, brother and brother's wife. He said his girlfriend did not know about the grow house and the operation was under his care.
The 40-year-old was charged with trafficking in marijuana, cultivation of marijuana and theft of electricity.
Authorities said in recent years, many of the people arrested for operating grow houses in Marion County have been Cuban-born, who after arriving in South Florida, slowly made their way to smaller counties, such as Marion. Officials said as neighbors, they usual keep to themselves and are quiet, so they won't attract any attention to themselves.
http://www.ocala.com/article/20160312/ARTICLES/160319924/1402/NEWS?p=2&tc=pg
