MIAMI-DADE COUNTY, Fla. – Local 10 News was at the scene as Miami-Dade police narcotics investigators shut down a marijuana grow house they say was operating on stolen electricity.
Undercover agents took two men into custody Monday from the residence along the 14000 block of Southwest 172nd Street in southwest Miami-Dade County.
Arquimides Cessio Perez and Ricardo Rodriguez Gongora hid their faces as officers continued searching the residence.
Authorities said they got a tip and were following up on it when they went to the home and simply asked if they could walk through.
Police said the men agreed and that's when officers said they found a hydroponics lab with large and small plants, along with about 28 pounds of packaged pot.
Investigators estimate the pot to be worth around $3,500 per pound on the street.
The house is the fifth grow house uncovered in southwest Miami-Dade County in recent months, and officials have emphasized the dangers of stealing electricity and operating such elaborate grow houses in busy residential areas.