(PORT CHARLOTTE) Charlotte County Sheriff’s Narcotics Unit detectives released more details of the Thursday raid on a grow house Port Charlotte that seized 400.15 pounds of marijuana. Arrested were Elier Enrique Torres-Milian, 25, and Yudelky Cabrera Perez, 33, both of 18099 Bly Avenue where the raid took place.
Narcotics detectives received information that a strong odor of fresh marijuana had been coming from the home and obtained enough intelligence during their investigation to obtaining a search warrant; it was executed Thursday around noon. Detectives and members of the Street Crimes Unit knocked on the door; Torres-Milian answered. When they told him about the search warrant, he attempted to go back inside; he resisted but was finally handcuffed. Perez then slammed the door closed and attempted to lock it. At this point the front door was kicked open; she was handcuffed and taken from the home.
A search of the home located two hydroponic growing rooms. One room contained 61 large cut marijuana plants which were hanging on a string drying, and 169 additional starter marijuana plants. The other room had 59 large marijuana plants growing in buckets. Both rooms contained the sophisticated equipment to grow marijuana. They included air conditioning units, sun-light transformers, timers, large filters, plastic buckets, lamps fertilizing materials, and humidifiers. The large plants were put into plastic mesh and collected for evidence; the cultivating equipment was destroyed. A pickup and a 2011 Dodge Charger were also seized.
Torres-Milian and Perez were both charged with Trafficking in Marijuana, Cultivation of Marijuana, Possession of Drug Paraphernalia and Resisting Arrest. Friday morning they posted $29,500 bond each and were released.
Sheriff Bill Prummell at the grow house said, “This is only the beginning. Since I took office last January, I reorganized the Special Investigations Division to include a supervisor of Narcotics, members of the Street Crimes Unit, a K9, and use of the Veri-Plate System that scans and records license plates on vehicles. We are targeting the worst of the worst.”
Anyone with knowledge of illegal drug activity is asked to please call the CCSO Narcotics Unit at 941-575-2157 or Crime Stoppers at 800-780-TIPS (8477).