Ricky - Were you and your putos part of this??!!!
Looks like your weed stashed just went down!
Pot crackdown leads to third raid in Gwinnett
Police find 'several millions dollars' worth of marijuana'
By LATEEF MUNGIN
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Published on: 03/02/07
Authorities on Thursday night busted another million-dollar marijuana factory operating in a Gwinnett house.
Snellville police and the Gwinnett County Drug Task Force found the "sophisticated" operation that cultivated hundreds of marijuana plants in the basement of the Snellville house, said Gwinnett Cpl. Darren Moloney.
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Five people were arrested and three cars were confiscated at 2851 Creekwood Drive.
Late Thursday night, officers were still trying to tally the amount of marijuana that was growing in the home, Moloney said.
"There are at least 500 plants," Moloney said, standing outside the home that sat in a tree-lined neighborhood near U.S. 78. "There is several millions dollars' worth of marijuana in this home."
The Snellville bust is related to several similar drug busts that have occurred in Gwinnett and other metro Atlanta counties recently, Moloney said.
"This is not a Gwinnett problem. This is a metro Atlanta problem," Moloney said. "Similar to the other houses, this house was turned into a highly sophisticated marijuana factory."
Authorities obtained a warrant and began searching the home at 5 p.m., Moloney said. In the basement, officers found potted marijuana plants and an elaborate irrigation and lighting system.
Public utilities had been tapped into illegally, Moloney said, "so there was no way for agencies to determine that there was a large amount of water and electricity being used."
Late Thursday night, police had not released the names of the suspects or what information was used to obtain the search warrants.
The Snellville "grow house" was the third operation raided in Gwinnett County this week.
On Wednesday, sheriff's deputies found more pot than they could easily weigh and measure growing in the basement of a suburban home in Dacula. On Monday, a raid near Lawrenceville netted three arrests and $2 million worth of pot. Unlike some of the other homes that have been raided by police, there was evidence that someone was living in the home. In some of the other homes, which authorities are calling "grow houses," the homes were used exclusively to grow and store marijuana.
The Snellville bust is another example of this new phenomenon and speaks to an different style of organized drug trafficking, Moloney said.
"This is an example of sophisticated crime organization," Moloney said as he stood on the lawn of the Snellville home.
Behind the officer was a sign that advertised the neighborhood-watch-type organization that exists in the area.
"Our children are protected by the Block Parent program," the sign read.
Police are spreading out around the northern arc of metro Atlanta as each raid nets more intelligence on the sophisticated production ring, Moloney said.
The Lawrenceville raid stemmed from busts last week in Barrow and Jackson counties, Moloney said. Jackson County Sheriff's Office deputies raided four houses last week. Barrow and Hall counties made similar raids, finding hundreds of thousands of dollars in marijuana and waist-high plants grown hydroponically.
Also, fire officials determined a house fire last week in Lawrenceville was the result of another grow operation. Hot lamps had set the attic aflame. Police also found 10 plants in garbage cans behind a Gwinnett business in a separate incident. Moloney wouldn't say whether the incidents were connected. But the investigation is spreading, he said.
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