Police arrested a Morgan Hill Man on suspicion of growing thousands of marijuana plants in an unpermitted industrial building in south Morgan Hill last week.
Detectives from the Morgan Hill Police Department and the Unified Narcotics Enforcement Team raided the commercial warehouse with a search warrant at 16035 Caputo Drive Thursday, according to Morgan Hill Det. Mindy Zen.
Officers seized 2,775 live marijuana plants in various stages of development, plus about 30 pounds of processed marijuana, police said.
Arrested at the warehouse was Daniel Segel, 32 of Morgan Hill, Zen said. He was booked on suspicion of felony cultivation of marijuana.
Segel allegedly took “several steps” to hide the clandestine, “sophisticated” growing operation from authorities, police said. The suspect occupied three rental units in the building, totaling about 6,000 square feet. Segel never obtained a business license or use permit for the property, and tried to mask the odors emitting from the warehouse with an “elaborate” air filtration and irrigation systems.
The warehouse was later deemed unsafe by the City of Morgan Hill due to alterations made by the suspect to the electrical system and unpermitted building modifications, Zen said.
Another search warrant was executed at Segel’s Morgan Hill residence, and detectives found more marijuana and growing equipment associated with the cultivation of marijuana, police said.
Anyone with information about this crime may contact Morgan Hill Police at (408) 779-2101 or the anonymous tip line at (408) 947-7867.
