Arlington rental home used for indoor marijuana farm
Arlington police have busted an elaborate marijuana grow house for the second time in a little more than a month.
Police found nearly 100 marijuana plants growing inside a home located in a quiet residential neighborhood. A next-door neighbor, who asked that we not use his name, watched for hours Thursday as Arlington police tried to get into this fortified home located on Sutton Drive.
Police were called to the scene after an employee with the electric company came to the home to check on a meter malfunction. The employee noticed dirt around the meter had been moved.
According to a search warrant, officers "smelled the strong aroma of fresh marijuana" coming from the home. Cops also noticed "disturbed earth with three large cables that appeared to be running power to the home."
The report also noted, on a day when the high temperature was 59 degrees, "there were two large air conditioning compressor units and one window air conditioning unit all running air to the home."
"The whole house had been gutted out, there was no furniture or anything like that, so it was a very elaborate marijuana grow house operation," said Arlington PD Lt. Chris Cook.
The home is located less than two miles away from another home where detectives also found nearly 100 pot plants in a raid last month. That operation was also very elaborate, with a grow room hidden nine feet underground and covered by a backyard deck.
Two suspects were arrested in that sting and police were investigating whether anyone else was involved.
At the Sutton Drive home, cops arrested Rodolfo Ernesto-Marrero and charged him with possession of marijuana. Police said there could be additional arrests and stressed that since this was a rental home, they do not believe the homeowner was involved.