By BEN BROWN The Daily Journal
Article Last Updated: 03/12/2008 08:34:19 AM PDT
Two people, one of them currently under federal indictment, were arrested on drug charges Thursday after neighbors on Cresta Drive complained about the smell.
Mendocino County Major Crimes Task Force Commander Bob Nishiyama said officers served a search warrant on the home of Cynthia Nelson at 122 Cresta Drive Thursday and seized 30 mature marijuana plants and 265 smaller "clone" plants.
The 30 mature plants were in one bedroom of the house, while the clones were in a hydroponic setup in another, Nishiyama said. Some of the clone plants were very young, but others had root balls and had been planted in dirt.
"It was a very sophisticated setup," he said.
The Task Force filed for a search warrant on the house because of complaints about the smell of marijuana in the neighborhood, and a PG&E bill that was four times higher than normal.
"The smell, especially at the budding stage, is really strong," Nishiyama said.
The house had belonged to Nelson's mother, who died and left the house to her. Nishiyama said the house was mostly empty except for one room that Nelson rented out.
Based on the evidence from the Cresta Drive home, the Task Force obtained a second search warrant for Nelson's permanent residence on Riverside Drive.
Nishiyama said officers found 30 "mother" plants that he believed Nelson was using to make the clone plants found on Cresta Drive.
Officers also seized 72 grams of hashish, 22.7 grams of psilosybin mushrooms, 700 grams of marijuana and a .45 caliber rifle, Nishiyama said.
Officers also found Rustin Meadows-Paul of Potter Valley at the Riverside Drive home. Paul had been released by federal authorities pending trial on federal drug charges for allegedly growing marijuana in Potter Valley and driving it to Chicago, where it was allegedly sold to organized crime figures.
Nishiyama said Paul allegedly used several different cars to drive the marijuana cross country to sell to organized crime figures, who in turn sold it to street dealers and sometimes allegedly employed dishonest Chicago Police Department officers to steal the drugs back to be sold again.
"Mendocino County marijuana was ending up in Chicago with organized crime," Nishiyama said.
Nelson and Paul are both charged with cultivation of marijuana, possession of marijuana for sale, possession of hashish, possession of psilosybin mushrooms and being armed in commission of a felony. Additionally, Paul was charged with committing a felony while out on bail.
Both Paul and Nelson had medical marijuana recommendations.
Ben Brown can be reached at udjbb@pacific.net.
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