Two men, including one from Santa Maria, were arrested, and more than 4,100 marijuana plants were found Tuesday in make-shift greenhouses in southern San Luis Obispo County.
Detectives from the San Luis Obispo County Sheriff’s Department Narcotics Unit served a pair of search warrants at two locations on the 300 block of South Oakglen Avenue in Nipomo, according to spokesman Tony Cipolla.
Detectives arrested Tony Lumbreras Soto, 47, of Nipomo for a recent narcotics-related warrant, Cipolla said.
“The search warrant for the neighboring property revealed a marijuana grow being conducted in make-shift greenhouses containing 4,111 marijuana plants in varying sizes,” Cipolla said.
Detectives also discovered an ounce of methamphetamine packaged for sale, a half ounce of cocaine packaged for sale, and a loaded rifle.
A suspect at that location, 42-year-old Francisco Soto-Orduna of Santa Maria, was arrested on suspicion of possessing a controlled substance for sale, possessing a controlled substance while armed with a loaded firearm, and being a felon in possession of a firearm.
It’s not known if the men are related, Cipolla said.
Three other male suspects at the site took off running when detectives arrived.
“The investigation into the marijuana cultivation is continuing, and detectives anticipate charges being filed in the near future,” Cipolla said.
A search was conducted but the other suspects were not caught by mid-afternoon Tuesday, Cipolla said.
— Noozhawk North County editor Janene Scully can be reached at jscully@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk, @NoozhawkNews and @NoozhawkBiz. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.
