Another indoor pot 'farm' busted

LAWRENCEVILLE - An indoor marijuana "farm," similar to two uncovered earlier in the Chestnut Mountain area, has been raided in Gwinnett County.

The Gwinnett County Drug Task Force (GCDTF), in a combined effort with the Barrow County Sheriff Office Narcotics Unit, arrested three men and charged them with various felony offenses, while stopping "a major marijuana cultivation operation."

Cpl. Darren Moloney of the Gwinnett County Police Department said Barrow County investigators were following up on an investigation at 2350 Friars Gate Drive, which is in the Lawrenceville area. When authorities knocked on the door, three occupants fled on foot, according to Cpl. Moloney, but with the assistance of the GCDTF, the trio was quickly captured.

Moloney says search warrants were obtained, leading to the discovery of the marijuana farm. He said this was a "large scale and very technologically sophisticated grow lab," similar to the ones uncovered recently in several other counties, including Hall.

These arrests and seizures are part of the ongoing investigations taking place with the Barrow County Sheriff Office Narcotics Unit, the Hall County Sheriff's Office Multi Agency Narcotics Unit, and Fayette County Sheriff's Office Multi-Agency Drug Suppression Task Force, according to Moloney.

The entire basement of the Lawrenceville house was converted into a hydroponics lab designed specifically to grow marijuana, he added . About 500 plants - worth more than two million dollars - were seized in the operation. In addition, Moloney says, more than 15,000 grams of marijuana ready for distribution with a street value of over $153,000 were also seized.