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May 1, 2008 12:39 pm US/Eastern
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It Was "D-Day" For Miami Dade Drug Dealers
Miami Dade Has The Most Grow Houses In The State
MIAMI (CBS4) ―
Nearly 50 people were taken into custody during a one day crackdown on marijuana "grow houses" in Miami Dade.
Dubbed "Operation D-Day" more than 100 Miami Dade police officers, along with state and federal agents, raided 50 grow houses across the county.
During the day long blitz, officers arrested 49 people and confiscated more than 2-thousand marijuana plants along with 17-hundred pounds of marijuana which had a street value of nearly $7-million.
They also confiscated 8 firearms, a bullet proof vest and $113,600 in cash.
According to the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency, Miami Dade has the highest number of "grow houses" in the state; so many are popping up across the state that agents have had to double the number of raids they conduct each year.
In 2007, federal and state agents along with local law enforcement raided one thousand suspected "grow houses"; the year before that only 510 drug houses were found.
The operation conducted in Miami Dade was coordinated with other crackdowns across the state.
In all, 9,249 marijuana plants were seized from more than 150 homes and 135 individuals involved in residential hydroponic marijuana labs were arrested.
In the South Florida tri-county area, this round-up yielded more than 3,400 marijuana plants from 75 grow houses, and led to the arrest of 74 individuals. In Broward, officers raided 9 grow houses, seized 302 plants and made 10 arrests. The also confiscated $16-thousand in cash and a firearm.
"Organized crime is attempting to expand the drug trade into everyone's neighborhood through the virus-like increase in hydroponic grow houses. The violence and gun activity, which are always a part of the atmosphere associated with these perceived high-profit enterprises, can easily spill out onto our streets. I applaud the cooperative efforts of our state, local, and federal law enforcement agencies as they bring down these organizations and keep our neighborhoods safe," said Miami-Dade State Attorney Katherine Fernandez Rundle.
Local, state and federal officials say the success of the operation was due in large part to residents who contacted police when they suspected a grow house in their neighborhood. These leads were used throughout the State to identify the houses searched in this operation.
In a related matter, Attorney General Bill McCollum commended Florida lawmakers on Thursday for passing the Marijuana Grow House Eradication Act during the session which will end on Friday.
"As marijuana becomes more and more dangerous, grow houses are creating serious threats to our neighborhoods and communities. Not only is the new form of the drug much more potent, the grow houses often invite violence from rival operators. I applaud our legislative sponsors and the Florida Legislature for recognizing this threat and giving our law enforcement officers better tools to combat it." Attorney General McCollum
Once signed by Governor Crist, this legislation will make it a second-degree felony to grow 25 or more plants, a first-degree felony to grow 25 or more plants in a home with children present and a third-degree felony to own a house for the purpose of cultivating, packaging and distributing marijuana.
(© MMVIII, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)