COPS, D.A. BREAK UP POT GROW OPERATION
3 Cuban nationals arrested, over 100 mature plants confiscated
NORTH COVENTRY >> Three Cuban nationals have been arrested after a sophisticated marijuana grow operation was discovered.
William Delgado, 46, of Miami, Fla., Yordanky HeviaMartinez, 34, of Hialeah, Fla., and Berto Quinones, 41, of North Coventry, were arrested Friday after police served a search warrant at a property located on the 900 block of Malvern Drive, the Chester County District Attorney’s Office said in a release Tuesday.
“This was a sophisticated grow operation. The defendants, with ties to Cuba and Florida, clearly are part of an organized criminal network. It was their bad luck to try an operation like this in Chester County,” said Chester County District Attorney Tom Hogan.
Police uncovered the grow operation upon serving a search warrant at the home of Quinones at around 7 p.m. Friday. As the warrant was served, police observed Quinones leaving the residence with two other men, identified as Hevia-Martinez and Delgado, in a black Audi with temporary New Jersey license plates. When police made contact with them, they could smell a strong odor of marijuana in the vehicle, authorities said.
Police then executed a search warrant at the home and discovered a sophisticated marijuana grow operation consisting of more than 100 mature marijuana plants. Officers also located items used
“This was a sophisticated grow operation. It was their bad luck to try an operation like this in Chester County.” — Chester County District Attorney Tom Hogan
to grow and harvest marijuana including lighting, fertilizer, fans and other materials. The men had bypassed the electrical meter to gain access to the electricity they needed for the operation, according to the Chester County District Attorney’s Office.
Officers seized the drugs, grow materials and the vehicle, the D.A.’s office said. The Pennsylvania State Police Clandestine Lab team dismantled the operation.
Police also recovered a marmoset monkey in the home, which was turned over to a local zoo for safekeeping.
“This case is another example of inter-agency cooperation between North Coventry Township Police Department, DEA, Pennsylvania State Police, and the Chester County District Attorney’s Office,” said North Coventry Police Chief Robert Schurr. “Through this cooperative working relationship, we were able to rid our community of a substantial amount of marijuana that would have potentially been distributed throughout the region. This ongoing relationship shows the dedication that all law enforcement has to rid our communities of illicit drugs.”
The case was investigated by the North Coventry Township Police Department, the Chester County Detectives, DEA, the Pennsylvania State Police, and the regional SWAT team.
Anybody with information should contact North Coventry Township Police Officer Jesse Smith at 610323-8360 or the Chester County Detectives at 610344-6866. The three men have been charged with felony drug trafficking offenses and were remanded to Chester County Prison. They are scheduled for a preliminary hearing before District Judge Leonard J. Brown on March 30. Bail was set at $250,000 cash for Delgado and Hevia-Martinez. Quinones’ bail was set at $100,000.