OKEECHOBEE — Over 300 pounds of suspected marijuana plants were seized and two men were arrested Thursday as detectives raided a suspected marijuana grow house.
At 1 p.m. detectives from the Okeechobee Narcotics Task Force executed a search warrant March 9 on a greenhouse located at 530 N.E. 342nd Trail.
Adain Samuell Lago, 35
Inside that structure, which was located about 75 feet from the main house, the detectives allegedly found 189 suspected pot plants.
All of the plants had active root systems and were in buckets and planters, stated an arrest report.
Arrested in connection with the alleged grow house were: Adain Samuell Lago, 35, W. Some Road, Fort Myers; and Luis M. Yero, 59, S.W. 106th Court, Miami.
Lago was charged with cultivation of marijuana, possession of marijuana with intent to sell, ownership/lease/rental/or possession of property for trafficking in or manufacturing of a controlled substance and possession of drug paraphernalia.
Luis M. Yero, 59
Yero was charged with cultivation of marijuana, possession of marijuana with intent to sell and possession of drug paraphernalia.
Lago’s bond was set at $230,000, while Yero’s bond was set at $105,000.
Both men are being held on bond in the Okeechobee County Jail.
According to the arrest report as detectives approached the suspected grow house “… a strong smell of marijuana was present and AC (air conditioning) units could be heard.”
The detective’s report also pointed out that the plants had a total weight of 304 pounds.
Detectives also received a search warrant for the house, where they reportedly found ballasts and lighting hoods similar to the those found in the purported grow house.
During a search of the home, detectives found some black plastic bags in a closet in the main bedroom. Inside those bags were 21 “vacuumed-sealed plastic bags with marijuana inside,” continued the report. The suspected pot in those bags was apparently packaged for resale. The total weight of this suspected pot was 11.6 pounds.
Detectives also seized about $2,000 in cash when they stopped vehicles driven by Lago and Yero in the 1600 block of S.R. 70 West on Thursday morning.
Deputy Kristin Gray, from the Okeechobee County Sheriff’s Office (OCSO), and her K-9, Remi, were called to the scene and according to her report Remi alerted to a vehicle being driven by Lago and a second SUV driven by Yero.
Although no drugs were found when those vehicles were searched, deputies did find the cash as well as black latex gloves, PVC pipes, copper tubing, a 1000-watt light bulb and business cards from grow distributors, Deputy Gray pointed out.
Task force detectives soon arrived on scene and they took over the investigation.
