Matilde Rodriguez-Valle and Ramon Marin of Miami-Dade, Florida were arrested recently after they were accused of operating a marijuana grow house out of two Miami homes, news sources indicate. Another suspect, who reports did not identify, was also arrested. Police confiscated nearly $500,000 worth of drugs from both homes during a raid leading up to the arrests. Valle, 56, and Marin, 52, were booked into the Miami-Dade County Jail on charges of drug trafficking and possession of drugs with the intent to distribute. It is unclear whether a bail bond was set. It is also not yet known whether any of the defendants have retained a hired a lawyer.
Reports say that detectives from the Drug Enforcement Administration, along with the Miami-Dade and North Miami Beach police departments, raided two homes located next to each other off of Northwest 112th Avenue and 98th Street this week. The investigation leading up to the raid began several months ago when an unidentified person purchased one of the two homes and rented it out to a tenant, who remains anonymous. Neighbors in the area say they became suspicious when their electrical panels started shutting down for unapparent reasons. Detectives looked into the alleged electrical malfunctions as part of their investigation. According to reports, the two homes that were raided were allegedly draining as much as $1,000 in stolen power to run grow houses.
During the raids, police seized an estimated 100 pounds of marijuana and a purported 150 grams of cocaine. So far, it is unclear how the detectives learned the alleged grow houses, though it may well have had something to do with the power problems. Police named Valle and Marin as suspects following the search of the homes. They arrested an additional suspect, but did not provide his name to the press. An investigation into the alleged grow houses is ongoing, and it remains to be seen whether other arrests will be made.
Valle and Marin were not the only Florida residents arrested on marijuana charges recently. Michael Lee Lunsford and his son, Michael Dale Lunsford, of Jensen Beach, Florida were arrested Friday after police allegedly found nearly 30 pounds of marijuana at their residence, reports indicate. Lee-Lunsford, 60, and Dale-Lunsford, 23, were booked into the Martin County Jail on charges of possession of more than 20 grams of cannabis, possession of cannabis with intent to sell, and trafficking in cannabis. It is unclear whether a bail was set or if the defendants hire legal representation.