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A New Definition Of 'Grow House'

Hernando Today photo by BOB EAST III

An undercover deputy carries two more marijuana plants to add to those already removed from a marijuana grow house in Brooksville on Wednesday.

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By KYLE MARTIN, Hernando Today

Published: December 19, 2007

BROOKSVILLE - The two-story structure tucked away on Morgan Lane gives a whole new meaning to "grow house."

The sheriff's SWAT team stormed the residence early Wednesday afternoon and found six rooms in the 2,600 square-foot house crammed with marijuana plants.

Most growers set aside a room or two for living in, but this house only had a pair of cots in the kitchen, Sheriff Richard Nugent said.

Up until this point, that was unheard of in Hernando County.

The degree of sophistication involved in this operation also caught investigators by surprise. Brilliant high-sodium vapor lights dangled over rows of lush plants instead of the typical heat lamps.

One room was dedicated to drying out buds — also a first — and there was evidence that the growers were cloning plants, according to Deputy Donna Black, spokeswoman.

The growers favored hand-watering the plants and had 55-gallon drums of water sitting in each room, she said.

All told, there were 395 plants inside the house worth roughly $790,000 because of their quality. More than 500 discarded root balls were discovered in the back yard, according to Black.

Tuan A Nguyen, 37, of Tampa, was inside the house when the raid occurred. He is charged with theft of services for allegedly tampering with the electricity and trafficking in marijuana. The homeowner, Viet Khac Dinh, pulled up in a black Lexus while deputies were still pulling out plants. He is charged with principle to both of the charges Dinh faces.

Though the properties on Morgan Lane are spread apart, this is still the country and people say hi, said Dan Burns, who lives across the street.

The people at 15234 Morgan Lane moved in about eight months ago and came and went at odd hours "almost like a business," said Burns. He stopped to consider that. "I guess that's what it was."

When deputies burst in the door, the big-screen TV was tuned to a Vietnamese channel. There was a red shrine with gold gilt by the front door.

The one person inside the house, who was not named before press time, spoke Vietnamese and only little English. What appeared to be a watering schedule was written in Vietnamese.

Black said the grow operation was likely supplying marijuana outside the country, but exactly where remains under investigation.

Like the surrounding properties, the cream-colored house with a columned front porch sat on a 5-acre spread bordered by a fence. Its residents kept the yard mowed and the grounds neat and tidy.

Boards and foil covered the windows so that no one could peek in and light would not escape. A false wall was built in the foyer directly behind the front door to conceal the plants in the living room.

There was nothing about the house to alarm the neighbors.

But someone obviously knew appearances were deceiving because a Crime Stoppers tip launched an investigation several weeks ago.

Because the house is on a private road, the traditional surveillance van parked across the street had to be abandoned in favor of more subtle techniques. Deputies in heavy camouflage called "ghillie suits" kept an eye on the comings and goings of the residents from the woods across the street.

This was the second bust in less than a week. Last Tuesday, deputies dismantled two grow houses on Chamber Court in Spring Hill and another on Spring Hill Drive.

"There's really no rhyme or reason to it," Nugent said.

Reporter Kyle Martin can be reached at 352-544-5271 or kmartin@hernandotoday.com

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