A veteran cop with a nose for pot helped bust a marijuana grow house in North Miami Beach, police said Wednesday.
The officer, a 14-year veteran of the force, was patrolling near Northeast 9th Avenue and 160th Street when he noticed the faint smell of marijuana, police said.
Police say the officer got out of his car and began walking the neighborhood to try to find the source of the smell. He narrowed it to the house at 930 Northeast 160th Street.
The officer contacted undercover narcotics officers, who set up surveillance on the home. Noises consistent with a grow house operation, including humming from fluorescent lights and internal air conditioning units.
After a search warrant was obtained, officers searched the home on the afternoon of Oct. 24. Inside was an elaborate hydroponic lab, with 77 mature marijuana plants weighing approximately 180 pounds, police said.
The marijuana is valued at $750,000.
The tenant of the house, who wasn't identified, was arrested and charged with possession of marijuana with intent to sell and theft of electricity from the FPL pole at the rear of the house.
