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Deputies take down 2 pot-growing operations

Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office

Deputies say Rafael Guerrero was stealing so much electricity a transformer was on the verge of exploding.

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TBO.com

Published: June 24, 2009

Deputies dismantled two marijuana grow houses Tuesday, the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office said.

Detectives found 29 pot plants weighing 32 pounds at 6512 Runningwoods Drive. The plants have an estimated street value of $128,000.

Deputies say Rafael Guerrero, 35, converted two bedrooms for the operation and had been stealing so much electricity that a nearby electrical transformer was melting and on the verge of exploding. Guerrero faces charges of cultivation of marijuana and theft of electricity. He was taken to the Orient Road Jail and later released on his own recognizance.

Deputies say they also busted a smaller operation at 1423 Sandlake Drive. Detectives seized 13 marijuana plants weighing 3.7 pounds, with an estimated street value of $14,800. Eric Bryant Tharpe, 35, had ventilated the growing operation into the walls of his apartment; creating such a stench it prompted someone to call law enforcement about the smell.

Tharpe was charged with cultivation of marijuana. He was taken to the Orient Road Jail and released after posting a $2,000 bond.

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