CORAL GABLES, Fla. (WSVN) -- Police have arrested a man after four pot growing labs were found in an apartment building.
Coral Gables Police arrested 66-year-old Isidro Alba after officers said they found marijuana manufacturing operation in four apartments in the complex on Capri Street near Eighth Street and Granada, Thursday morning. "We usually find them in single family homes, not in four separate apartments in a complex," said Coral Gables officer Kelly Denham.
Earlier in the month, 7 News took video when police raided the complex. For the past several weeks, detectives have been investigating and finally made the arrest Thursday. "The building manager is involved, and he's been charged with two felony counts. One is providing a place to grow the illegal narcotics and the second, its for
trafficking marijuana," said Denham.
Ana Gonzalez who lives in the complex is shocked about the news. "He was a pretty nice guy. I didn't know he was involved in this," she said.
Several people who live in the complex are thanking police for stopping the pot production. "I'm really grateful that they finally found out because apparently it's been going on for a couple of months," said Gonzalez.
According to police, they found more than $1.1 million worth of pot and believe this was not a one-person operation.
If you have any information on this operation, call Miami-Dade Crime Stoppers at 305-471-TIPS. Remember, you can always remain anonymous, and you may be eligible for a reward.
As of late, it seems as though marijuana grow houses have been discovered all throughout Miami-Dade and Broward. Marijuana grow houses can be found a number of ways.
Click here to learn more about how marijuana grow houses are discovered by police.
These articles show that finding marijuana grow houses is a top priority for both Broward and Miami-Dade police departments.
Remember - no matter how much of a "priority" something is for the cops, it never trumps your right to be free from
unlawful search and seizure.
Marijuana grow houses can yield a variety of criminal charges. The charges may range from possession of marijuana (cannabis) with intent to sell, all the way up to trafficking in marijuana. While possession with intent to sell does not carry any mandatory prison time and fines, trafficking offenses in the State of Florida (of any kind) all carry
mandatory minimum prison sentences and stiff fines.
As I discussed the other day, many police officers try to use
consent searches to get inside of a suspected marijuana grow house. Click on the link marked "consent searches" to learn how to protect yourself from unlawful police intrusion.
I practice
criminal defense in Miami-Dade County and in Broward County. I believe that if you are facing trafficking charges (or any charges for that matter), you should consult with a qualified
criminal defense attorney who has experience in handling marijuana possession, sale, and trafficking cases.
If you have questions about the law as it pertains to marijuana possession, sale, cultivation, and trafficking in the State of Florida,
call me for a free consultation.