News

Operation D-Day targets indoor grow houses

State-wide drug raid nets more than $41 million in marijuana

Operation D-day. Drug agents and police say that it was the biggest marijuana grow house bust operation in Florida history.

Sheriff Gootee and Columbia County officers find more than 500 marijuana plants in Operation D-Day.

The multi-jurisdictional operation including federal, state and local law enforcement agencies was run by the High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) program and included most areas of the state. Statewide 150 grow houses were busted netting approximately $41 million worth of marijuana plants and 135 arrests were made as part of yesterday’s operation.

According to the U.S. Attorney Office, in recent years, Florida has experienced a tremendous increase in residential hydroponic marijuana labs. As a result, South Florida HIDTA, supported by North and Central Florida HIDTA’s, planned this marijuana grow-house operation encompassing 45 of the 67 Floridian counties, state and federal law enforcement agencies, and state and federal prosecutorial entities. The purpose of "Operation D-Day" is to establish a coordinated effort to simultaneously conduct specialized narcotics enforcement.

Indoor cannabis cultivation operations are also increasingly being established within the North

Indoor marijuana is more potent than when it is grown outside.

Photos courtesy of the Columbia County Sheriff's Office

Florida HIDTA region, particularly in privately owned or rented residential homes. In Jacksonville, which is the largest and most densely populated city in the North Florida HIDTA region, law enforcement authorities dismantled at least 23 indoor cannabis cultivation grow sites between March 2005 and March 2006. The grow sites ranged from small grows with several small plants to large cultivation operations containing almost 200 plants. In several other cities and counties within the North Florida HIDTA, law enforcement authorities have reported an emerging trend in which people rent homes in residential areas and use the entire home as an indoor grow site. The dealers often pay other individuals or associates to live in the homes to cultivate plants and to provide the appearance of normal activity in the home. Most of the dealers linked to these elaborate sites are not from the communities where the homes are rented, and several have been linked to Hispanic drug trafficking groups in South Florida and Cuba.

Indoor grow operations

Indoor marijuana is three to ten times more potent than marijuana grown outdoors in soil. It is typically grown with different minerals, with special lighting and temperature regulation. Harvesters are drawn to growing marijuana indoors because it is more addictive and easier to hide from police.

Clay County
The members of the Clay County Drug Task Force were part of Operation D-Day yesterday. Five local suspects were arrested at homes across Clay County after search warrants were served and in-home hydroponic marijuana grow operations were discovered.
The following suspects were arrested: James P. Powers of Green Cove Springs, Tony R. Hines of Orange Park, Joseph Gallant of Middleburg, and Robert and Dawn Gunning of Middleburg.
Columbia County
A whirlwind operation Wednesday night ended with three arrested and three high-priced homes raided of more than 500 marijuana plants. Members of the Multijurisdictional Drug Task Force knocked on the front door of the house at 3952 County Road 18 near Fort White and asked Yoel Gutierrez Sanchez, 34, if he was growing marijuana. He led law enforcement to a detached garage where 160 marijuana plants were growing in a controlled, hydroponic environment. The plants ranged from 24 inches tall to between 5 and 6 feet tall.
Investigation at that home lead the Task Force to a house located at 452 NW Ambleside Drive in the Cobblestone Estate subdivision off Lake Jeffery Road. Growing throughout the residence were more than 100 large marijuana plants. Bathrooms and bedrooms in the luxury home had been converted to support the hydroponic operation. Arrested at this home were Yinet Fernandez Abreu, 20 and Lorenzo Perez-Gonzalez, 32.
The third house was located in the Oak Haven subdivision, farther north on Lake Jeffery Road. A detached garage located behind the brick home had been modified and was supporting more than 150 plants. The garage attached to the house was also converted and housed another 75 plants.
"These are extremely sophisticated and expensive operations to set up and run," said Sheriff Gootee. "We have dismantled these types of operations before but never in such nice neighborhoods."
Due to the number of plants and established operations, the Drug Enforcement Administration was contacted and handled the investigation.
"There were a significant number of plants for these individuals to be charged federally which carries a stricter sentence," said Sheriff Bill Gootee. "The neighbors we encountered had no idea these elaborate operations were right next door."
Sanchez, Abrue and Perez-Gonzalez were each charged with cultivation of marijuana, possession of more than 20 grams of marijuana and possession of drug paraphernalia. They were booked into the Columbia County Jail and were being held without bond. Investigators believe all of the operations are connected and may have been funded by the same individual.
The Multijurisdictional Task Force is made up of representative from the Columbia County Sheriff’s Office, the Lake City Police Department, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement and the DEA. The street value of the confiscated plants is more than $500,000.
"This is yet another excellent example of the teamwork and cooperation of the member agencies of the Task Force in stemming the tide of illegal drugs in our community," Lake City Police Chief Steven Burch said.
The Columbia County investigations lead authorities to a home in Union County where more than 100 plants were seized.
Duval County
Officers raided 16 homes in Duval County arresting 14 people. The Jacksonville sheriff’s Office logged 14 arrests and seized 632 marijuana plants.
St. Johns County
Investigators from the Tri-County Narcotics Task Force participated in a state-wide effort to combat indoor marijuana grows yesterday during "Operation: D-Day". Seven homes in St. Johns County were identified where detectives found various amounts of marijuana plants growing inside.
At the seven residences investigators seized a total of 429 plants, over one pound of processed marijuana and 11 firearms. The estimated street value of the seized cannabis was nearly $430,000.
The four-month investigation used investigative techniques and anonymous tips to identify the suspected homes where cannabis was allegedly growing. Wednesday morning several teams of investigators went to those residences that were identified and received permission to search or had search warrants for those homes. Two subjects were arrested on a charge of cultivation of cannabis, two others were given notices to appear in court to answer the same charges, an arrest warrant will be obtained for another subject who was not home at the time and one subject was charged with an open warrant and sustained what is believed to be a self-inflicted gun shot wound to the head and is in a Jacksonville hospital.
The Tri-County Narcotics Task Force is coordinated by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement and has detectives from the St. Johns, Putnam and Flagler Counties Sheriffs’ Offices.
The locations of the residences where marijuana plants were identified as:
8280 Riverview Dr., 13 plants were seized and a pound of processed marijuana was located and seized. A Notice to Appear was issued to the resident who was identified as Daniel Lay, 60.
11835 C.R. 13 North, 24 plants and 20 grams of processed marijuana were located. Arrested was James Gupton, 21. He was charged with cultivation of cannabis and is in the St. Johns County Jail in lieu of $2,500 bond. <BR.
892 White Eagle Cr., 21 plants seized. Arrest Warrant pending to Jeffrey Branch, 43.
6300 Salado Rd., 59 plants seized. An arrest warrant will be obtained for the owner identified as Daniel Everhart, 35.
118 Jupiter Rd., 178 plants and 74 grams of processed marijuana was seized. Arrested was James Steele, 35, 305 Villa San Marco Dr., Apt. 306. He was charged with cultivation of cannabis and is in the St. Johns County Jail in lieu of $7,500 bond.
45 Palmetto Rd., two plants seized, however, no arrests were made since ownership of the cannabis has not been determined at this time.
5865 C.R. 208, 132 plants and 11 firearms seized. The occupant, identified as Lawrence Sacks, 50, sustained a self-inflicted gun shot wound to the head and was transported to Shands/Jacksonville hospital. When he is released he will be charged with an outstanding warrant for Writ of Bodily Attachment (Child Support) from St. Johns County and will also face Cultivation charges.
Union County
The Union County Sheriff's Office investigators raided a home in 6800 block of SW 85th Path and found what they call some of the most sophisticated growing equipment ever. More than 100 plants were found hidden by false walls and doors. Diosvani Herrera Becerra, 38, of Cuba, was taken into custody.

Also today, state lawmakers approved the Marijuana Grow House Eradication Act, which enhances penalties for people growing pot in homes. The legislation, which awaits approval from Gov. Charlie Crist, was sponsored by Sen. Steve Oelrich, R-Gainesville, and Rep. Nick Thompson, R-Ft. Myers. Once signed, the new law would make it a second-degree felony to grow 25 or more plants. It targets for-profit growers who exceed the state's current threshold of 300 plants.

The legislation would also make it a third-degree felony to own a house for the purpose of cultivating, packaging and distributing marijuana and a first-degree felony to grow 25 or more plants in a home with children present.