Bond Set for $2 Million Dollar Pot House Suspects
By DIANA PEREZ
Updated 2:46 PM EST, Mon, Nov 2, 2009
When cops busted a massive marijuana grow house in New Haven on Friday morning, it was the largest pot bust in New Haven history, police said.
They found hundreds of pot plants, an irrigation system and rooms full or marijuana buds ready to sell. It was worth $2.5 million.
On Monday, the two owners of that house were in court and bond was set $75,000 each.
Police were led to the grow house after the fire department responded to an electrical fire. When the firefighters went inside, they were hit with a strong smell of pot, which led them to a marijuana factory inside.
Sergeant Rob Criscuolo of New Havens Tactical Narcotics Unit said the growers behind the 1853-1855 Chapel Street grow house didn’t even try to hide their crime.
“It’s immediately apparent it’s a marijuana operation. There’s no furniture, no clothing no belongings, just marijuana,” Criscuolo said.
Police found marijuana in every room of the house.
Criscuolo called the level of production unbelievable, “they have misters, timers, somehow they got their own electric panels inside the first floor apartment.”
Police initially arrested the homeowners, Ruben Hernandez, 36, and Yomaira Hernandez, 32, who live upstairs on larceny charges for stealing electricity. Those charges were upgraded to include several marijuana offenses, including cultivation and possession with intent to sell charges within 1500 feet of a daycare.
The Hernandez's told police they rented the apartment out five months ago and presented rent receipts for $1,000 from July through October. They also claimed they didn’t realize what was growing right under their noses, but police said that was not likely.
“It’s immediately apparent as soon as you enter the common hallway a strong odor of marijuana it would be nearly impossible for someone to enter that front door and not know what was going on,” Criscuolo said.
Christine Johnson lives right next door to the grow house. She says she’s relieved the grow house was shut down but is thrown off that this could happen on her block, across the street from Yale bowl, “definitely it’s disconcerting, it’s unfortunate and somewhat surprising but I really didn’t know what was going on I’m sorry that it was right next door especially in this neighborhood, a neighborhood that I thought was safe.”
Ray Perason who works at the Morning Glory Daycare right next door to the grow house was stunned to hear of the operation, “the concerns is that it is next to a child care environment and a learning center and I know that in itself could be a danger to the area.”
Police say the marijuana seized is valued at $2.4 million.
First Published: Oct 30, 2009 6:44 PM EST
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