Large cluster of growing lamps were in plain view
Gilroy – Four men and a woman ranging in age from 25 to 42, were questioned and released after drug enforcement agents raided a Gilroy home containing 28 two-foot marijuana plants and $21,000 worth of growing equipment.
A large cluster of growing lamps were in plain view in the living room, windows were sealed to prevent the strong odor of pot from leaking outdoors, the house was equipped with a ventilation system and someone had installed an industrial strength electrical system to handle the hefty energy load, said United Narcotics Enforcement Team Cmdr. Mark Colla.
The saga began Tuesday evening when a UNET agent saw two large marijuana plants and growing lamps inside a car being driven near the Gilroy Premium Outlets. After pulling the individuals over, the agent discovered an additional 238 small or starter marijuana plants inside the vehicle.
But the driver and passenger said they didn’t own the plants and were simply moving them for friends living at the 8885 Kern Ave. residence. When UNET agents arrived at the neat, white and gray two-story home northwest of downtown, the residents gave them permission to search the home, Colla said.
That’s where agents discovered lighting equipment worth about $21,000 and a drug operation that probably totaled about $50,000. Once all 238 starter plants mature, the total outlay would have netted about $500,000.
But the residents denied running the drug operation, claiming the plants and equipment belonged to the owner of the home who they rented from, Colla said.
The individuals were questioned but no arrests were made, Colla said.
UNET processed the evidence and sent the complaint to the District Attorney’s office to determine who, if anyone, will be charged.
That the large plants and growing equipment were found in the garage surprised Lorraine Mastroieni, who lives two houses away and often noticed the garage door open. Mastroieni was shocked when she saw agents confiscating the drugs from the home, particularly since they live in a new home in a safe neighborhood.
“They were nice people,” she said, adding that she always waved to them when driving by.
A married couple living next door to the raided home watched in awe as the whole scenario played out. Cesar and Al, who declined to give their last names, said there was never anything shady going on at the home and the suspects were friendly neighbors.
But then the street swarmed was with unmarked SUVs and cars, Alice said.
“I was blown away,” Cesar said. “I would have never suspected it.”
Tuesday was a busy day in the Kern Avenue neighborhood. Earlier that day, just across the street in an apartment complex, a stabbing occurred. The husband and wife, who moved here with their children from San Jose in the spring, said they were surprised to see so much crime in their neighborhood.
