LITTLEROCK – A 20-year-old man was arrested Tuesday evening (Dec. 18) after deputies found hundreds of mature marijuana plants in a back bedroom of the man’s Littlerock home, authorities said.
Jose Gamez was booked at the Palmdale Station for cultivation of marijuana, receiving stolen property and theft of public utilities, according to deputy Jodi Wolfe of the Palmdale Station.
The marijuana cultivation operation was discovered when deputies on patrol in Littlerock smelled the strong odor of marijuana coming from a home in the 8000 block of East Avenue T, Wolfe said.
As deputies were investigating, Gamez, walked outside of the house, approached the deputies, and gave them consent to search the home, Wolfe said.
During the search, deputies found a loaded firearm and 330 mature marijuana plants, just days from being harvested, inside a back bedroom, Wolfe said.
The marijuana cultivation operation consisted of an intricate watering, ventilation and artificial lighting system, Wolfe said.
Narcotics detectives seized approximately 330 pounds of marijuana with an estimated street value of $330,000.
Gamez was arrested and transported to Palmdale Sheriff’s Station, where he was booked around 10:58 p.m. Tuesday on $50,000 bail.
According to LASD inmate records, Gamez was released from custody Wednesday afternoon after making bail.
He is due in court on January 25, 2013.
This bust was just minutes away from where deputies shut down another $300K marijuana grow operation last week. (Read more on the previous pot bust here.)
–
Yo Mama says
Damn. That’s a bummer…
Notagain!!!! says
WOWWWWW! IT JUST DAWN ON ME THAT LATELY, ALL THEM MAJOR DRUG BUST HAVE BEEN WAYYY OUT THERE IN THE EAST SIDE AN LITTLE ROCK!! MR PERRIS, WHY DON’T YOU HAVE YOUR SILLY LITTLE ANOYING LEAP PLANE PATROLLING OUT THERE INSTEAD OF DOING CIRCLES AROUND MY HOUSE!! I DO WONDER IF THAT THING GOES OVER YOUR HOUSE?
dumbandblind says
How did the Deputies smell the MJ driving (usually with their windows rolled up because of cold weather) and Gamez approched them and gave consent to search? Wow nice story. If all criminals were like Gamez the world will be free of crap.
Mike says
Officers often drive slow through neighborhood blocks with their windows down listening and keeping alert. This time they just so happened to have smelled a crime.
MerryChristmas says
Wow, we can’t get them to drive through the neighborhood even when we report what we (the residents, tax payers, citizens) consider to be a crime happening in real time. Wow.
dumbandblind says
I bet the probability of finding more drug houses in Littlerock are very high.
Gladys says
Something fishy about this….How do you smell weed growing from in the car, in the house…? Someone tipped the cops off. Either way, good work. If someone could guarantee this weed wasn’t going to middle or high school kids, or to support gang/terrorist activity (local or foreign), I’d say, “party on Garth”.
Uncle Tom says
Don’t forget, the vast majority of these ‘grows’ are stealing utilities (Power usually, water sometimes as well), and that ends up costing us all. So even if your pro-weed, they growers are most likely criminals.
Gladys says
Will they get more time for growing that “awful” marijuana or for stealing utilities? How on earth do they figure out how to steal utilities. shhheeesh
Notagain!!!! says
WOWWWWWW! THIS GUY MUST BE GROWING SOME GOOD ! JUST OUT OF TGE BLUES HE CAME OUT AN GAVE CONCENT TO OFFICERS TO SEARCH HIS HOME!! LOL!
HE MUST HAVE BEEN ON HIS OWN STUFF WHEN HE DID THAT! TO THE OFFICERS! WAY TO GO, KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK
James Stouvenel says
way to go, Palmdale deputies, get these goons off the streets, we dont need these people in our backyard, im glad we are cleaning house in Littlerock.