Busted Grow House Contains 550 Pounds Of Cannabis

The drying room at the Highlands County Sheriff's Office is filled with 62 seven-foot tall marijuana plants with an estimated weight of 550 pounds and a value of $420,000.

And it was all confiscated from one grow house.

"That's by far the most we've ever weighed," said Capt. Randy LaBelle, with the sheriff's office's drug unit. "It has literally filled up our drying room."

Deputies confiscated the plants Wednesday from a grow house at 228 Park Land Drive in Lake Placid. A search warrant was executed in reference to theft of utilities and an active grow operation, according to the arrest report. Over the last two years, law enforcement has seized cannabis plants from roughly 80 such facilities in Highlands County.

Law enforcement originally believed the number of plants retrieved was closer to 70, but the final tally turned out to be slightly lower once the complete count was done.

This latest grow-house contained numerous power supplies and an intricate irrigation system. The plants were also held in individual blue tote buckets that can hold around 25 gallons, a first for one of these busts.

"It allowed the plants to get bigger," LaBelle said.

Officers were busy until 1 a.m., Thursday collecting all the evidence from the scene. Deputies brought the plants out individually and knocked all the excess dirt off their root systems.

One deputy kept a video record of all the action that transpired.

Motorists coming down Park Land Drive would have been hard pressed to see the grow-house from the road, as it was located behind both the residence and several feet of brush, keeping it well concealed.

As one walked closer to the shelter, the smell of marijuana became almost overpowering. A drainage ditch was also found in the back area of the property.

Other items found on the premises were of the four-legged variety. Animal control was called in to deal with geese, goats and dogs.

LaBelle said animals are often found at these grow houses because it gives "legitimacy to the residence."

One of the goats was apparently hungry, snacking on both doggie treats a member of code enforcement supplied, and, later, one of the marijuana plants itself.

Deputies were quick to shoo the animal away from the cannabis.

When officers first arrived on the scene, no one was home at the residence. Eventually, Carlos Segui, 43, came on to the scene before 8:30 p.m., and advised deputies he lived at the residence, according to LaBelle.

A Spanish-speaking deputy was called to the scene since the suspect spoke only a little English, according to the report. Once the interpreter was there and Segui was read his Miranda Rights, authorities say he advised he was living at the residence for four months and was renting.

The suspect also advised he started the plants from seeds and it was the first time he had grown marijuana at the residence, the report said.

Segui was arrested and charged with marijuana trafficking, marijuana production, theft of more than $300, possession of narcotics equipment and fraud.

As Segui was taken into custody, LaBelle added that the suspect did make a statement about the purpose of the marijuana.

"He said he grows it to smoke," LaBelle said.