Marijuana-Growing Operation Results in 2 Felony Charges

The after Grosse Pointe Park police raided their Somerset Street home and seized pounds of marijuana, cash and loose pills will appear in court Wednesday. 

The men are each being charged with manufacturing 5 to 45 kilograms of marijuana and possession of marijuana with the intent to deliver. The first count is punishable by seven years in prison and the second by four. The charges have been approved by the Wayne County Prosecutor's Office, according to information released by Park Detective David Loch.

Members of the Park's Special Response Team (SRT), which is the equivalent of a SWAT team, entered the home in the 1400 block of Somerset Street with a search warrant Aug. 2. The police obtained the warrant after receiving information alleging drugs were inside.

Park Public Safety Director David Hiller said there were about 40 marijuana plants inside the home. Legally, a marijuana-growing operation become eligible for the seven-year felony at 20 or more plants, he explained.

Over the years, the department has broken up other marijuana-growing operations, Hiller said, noting the significant amount of drugs in this particular case. The use of a medical marijuana card may become some of the argument in court, Hiller said, but the amount seized and the setup of the operation indicate the plants were for far more than personal use. 

In addition to the plants, Hiller said, there were water tables, heat lamps, exhaust fans, motors and more seized. It was a big-time operation, he said. 

Since Michigan voters passed the medical marijuana referendum in 2008, the issue is a frequent topic in court. Technically, the drug is still illegal and the law outlining the legal use for medical purposes limits the amount of the drug the cardholder may maintain at any given time.

The issue has arisen at least twice in Grosse Pointe Woods, where the because the . The prosecutor's office is still reviewing those cases, which pale in comparison to the amount of plants seized in the Park. 

The men, ages 31 and 36, both live at the home. Both are out of police custody and expected to appear in court Wednesday, Hiller said.