Three Schuylkill County residents were charged last week with operating a marijuana grow operation in their back yard.
Police in Mahanoy City say they received word from a confidential informant that a grow operation was happening on W. Pine St. The CI reportedly provided police with photos of the plants.
An aerial vantage point was accessed by police to get a better view of the suspected grow operation. From there, police say they were able to observe the plants the CI had told them about and at the same time, saw a child, about 5 years old, in the yard near the plants.
On July 22, police say they returned to the aerial vantage point and saw a female with red hair sitting in the back yard. Police say a pole with wires attached to it had been placed in the middle of the yard. They suspect that the growers were planning to conceal the plants from plain view.
The following day, at about 7 a.m., police say they executed a search warrant at the W. Pine St. address. There, they say 25 marijuana plants were discovered in the back yard. Additionally, three packages that contained marijuana, one package with synthetic marijuana, one grinder, and a package that contained four “cigar” roaches were also found.
Police say they took three people into custody following the execution of the search warrant: Isidro Herrera-Hidalgo, 65, Ana Polanco-Ulloa, 48, and Angel Colon, 27, all of Mahanoy City.
While in custody, Colon reportedly said that all three had been growing marijuana for a couple months and that his mother, Polanco-Ulloa, had acquired seeds and began growing the plants. Colon reportedly said the weed was for their personal use and not for sale.
Police have charged all three suspects with felony possession with intent to deliver and misdemeanor charges of possession of a controlled substance and possession of drug paraphernalia.
All three were released on unsecured bail following their arraignments and ordered to appear for preliminary hearings next month.
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