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Houses in Tarpon, Dunedin Also Raided In Pot Probe
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Published: August 22, 2008
TARPON SPRINGS - A joint task force of police agencies that included Tarpon Springs police and the Pinellas County sheriff's detectives shut down nine alleged marijuana grow houses in Tarpon Springs, Palm Harbor and Dunedin and elsewhere in the county.
A Sheriff's Office spokesman, in detailing the raids, said the countywide investigation of illegal indoor pot farming continues.
Thursday morning before dawn, deputies and officers served 13 search warrants involving 17 residential locations throughout the county, shutting down marijuana cultivation operations worth more than $4 million, a sheriff's spokesman said.
The investigation started with a tip to "Crime Stoppers" and has been under way for about three months. It is called "Operation Family Tree" because the subjects were all known to each other as relatives, through marriage or as friends, according to the task force.
All of the people arrested during the raids were charged with possession or cultivation of marijuana or both. More charges could be forthcoming on the local and federal level as the investigation continues, the task force said.
In Palm Harbor Sheriff's deputies raided three houses. Seventy plants were found at 990 16th St. and 41 plants were seized in a raid at 1551 Georgia Ave. Both houses were unoccupied.
At 1786 Grove Valley Ave. police arrested Tara Huntington, 24, and Trisha Woodfill, 24, after allegedly finding 77 plants at that address.
Tarpon Springs police, participating in the raid, shut down three grow houses in the city.
Police raided a house at 155 Whitcomb Blvd., charging Ryan Barber, 27, with possession of 62 pot plants.
Police also raided a house at 700 E. Cypress St., arresting Julie Homan, 43, and seizing 24 marijuana plants they allegedly found.
In a third raid, Tarpon Police went to1268 Center Ave. and arrested Kenneth and Darlene Barber, both 59. The Barbers were in possession of 48 plants, the task force alleges.
In Dunedin deputies raided 1566 Bayshore Blvd. arresting Donald Norlocu, 54, for allegedly possessing 193 plants.
Deputies raided 693 Patricia Ave. and charged Bruce Corr, 55, with allegedly having 25 plants.
Also in Dunedin, they also raided 1441 Douglas Ave. and charged Mathew Frischman, 28, with allegedly having 23 plants.
Clearwater Police raided three locations there. In one raid, at 810 Lake Forest Road, they arrested Joseph Maglione, 52, who sheriff's detectives allege coordinated the grow houses with the help of wife Susan Maglione, 60.
Grow houses in St. Petersburg were also raided.
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