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Detectives: Homeowner Grew 286 Marijuana Plants

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By LISA A. DAVIS, The Tampa Tribune

Published: November 2, 2007

WESLEY CHAPEL - A 63-year-old man was arrested Wednesday by vice narcotics detectives after they discovered 286 marijuana plants inside his Coleridge Estates home, the Pasco County Sheriff's Office said.

Manuel Diego-Gil was charged with cultivation of marijuana and theft of utility sources. He was being held at Land O' Lakes Jail on Thursday with bail set at $2,000.

Property records show that Diego-Gil bought his golf-course home at 27746 Quail View Lane, set on an acre, for $257,000 in July.

The plants were inside a bedroom and the garage, according to an arrest affidavit. An elaborate cultivation system with lights and irrigation was set up, as well as two air-conditioning units, the report states.

Diego-Gil is accused of illegally bypassing the electrical meter to steal electricity from Withlacoochee River Electric Cooperative.

The size of the alleged grow house is considerable, but not the largest found in Pasco.

"Our largest that we had this year was 400 plants," said sheriff's office spokesman Doug Tobin.

In the past year, Pasco detectives have seen a trend of more sophisticated grow houses in the county, replacing the large number of methamphetamine labs that had been found in Pasco for years, Tobin said.

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