The bust of an alleged marijuana grow house in Cape Coral resulted in one arrest Tuesday.
At 6:30 p.m. Monday, narcotics detectives with the Cape police followed up on an anonymous tip about a suspected grow house at 1223 N.W. 20th Terrace. Detectives went to the residence, gathered evidence and obtained probable cause for a search warrant, according to police spokesman Lt. Tony Sizemore.
Officers conducted surveillance at the home and detained two men who arrived after midnight.
Detectives were contacted and the search warrant was executed. Forty-nine marijuana plants located in the garage and northeast bedroom were seized, Sizemore reported. Both rooms had elaborate irrigation systems that included a 100-gallon tank that had been submerged in the garage floor by cutting into the concrete slab.
The seized marijuana had an estimated street value of $200,000.
Julio Antonio Conde Diaz, 56, of 1223 N.W. 20th Terrace, was charged with one count each of marijuana trafficking in excess of 25 pounds or 300 plants of more and possess manufacture deliver
narcotic equipment. He remained at the Lee County Jail on no bond Tuesday, according to records.
Sizemore said the department appreciates the trust the public has in the department, as illustrated by the tip.
He also said grow houses, by their nature, constitute a danger to the public.
“Robberies of drug dealers are particularly dangerous, especially when they are in residential neighborhoods and other people can be affected,” he said. “This is one of the reasons why we take swift action against grow house operations.”
Conde Diaz has a court date scheduled May 16.