Officers on July 20 gather marijuana plants found growing in the backyard of a home on Moab’s west side. Police and sheriff’s deputies seized 43 plants of varying sizes and a Moab man was arrested in the early morning raid.
Photo courtesy of the Grand County Sheriff’s Office
More marijuana, a firearm and drug paraphernalia were allegedly found inside the home, investigators said in a news release.
The man was booked into Grand County Jail on possible felony charges for allegedly cultivating marijuana. He also faces charges for possession of marijuana and hashish, possession of methamphetamine, two counts of possession of synthetic narcotics, being a restricted person in possession of a firearm and possession of drug paraphernalia, authorities said.
Grand County Attorney Andrew Fitzgerald said Wednesday that the man was released from jail after posting $31,676 in bail. Fitzgerald said his office is currently reviewing the case and he expects to file charges against the man prior to Aug. 21, when the man is scheduled to appear in 7th District Court in Moab for arraignment.
The plants, found growing in the backyard of the home on Stewart Lane near the Scott M. Matheson Wetlands Preserve, ranged in size between two feet and 11-feet tall and carried a potential street value of $430,000 had the plants grown to maturity and been harvested, police said.
The MANET team, which is comprised of officers from the Moab Police Department and deputies from the Grand County Sheriff’s Office, served a search warrant at the home at 6:35 a.m. on Friday, said Moab Police Chief Mike Navarre.
Navarre said the warrant was obtained based on information police received alleging that marijuana was being grown on the property.
Investigators said the growing operation included “a watering system that allowed the plants to be watered on a regular basis [through] a series of pipes, hoses and ditches.”
Navarre urged local residents to contact police regarding any suspicious activity in their neighborhood and to report finding tubing, hoses or cleared-out areas when traveling in the backcountry.