A home invasion by two men pretending to be cops led to a massive growhouse bust at a home in Hialeah Thursday morning, police say.
Hialeah Police received a call around 7 a.m. Thursday from a frantic teenager who had locked herself in a bathroom saying two armed men were inside her home robbing her parents at her West 66nd Street home.
Detectives say two men dressed as cops and gained entry into the home, and ended up beating and robbing the homeowner and his wife at gunpoint.
The men made off with a large amount of cash.
Police say that several SWAT personnel were on special detail in Hialeah, and apprehended the two men in a nearby apartment complex lot.
Before they were captured, a witness says the men tried to dump the cash in front of her apartment.
The suspects, 27-year-old Fernando J. Fernandez and 30-year-old Jorge Leonardo Valdes, were charged with home invasion robbery and kidnapping, police said.
As police launched their initial investigation at the home, the strong odor of marijuana emitting from the windows and doors revealed a commercial size growhouse operation inside.
"You could smell it from where we are half a block away," said Lt. Carl Zogby of the Hialeah Police Department.
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Police estimate there could be as much as 100 pounds of marijuana inside the home.
"He definitely had a commercial operation, this was not for private consumption or anything like that," Zogby said.
The alleged operator of the growhouse, 50-year-old Lazaro Espinosa, was charged with cannabis trafficking, police said. His wife and daughter weren't charged.
Police said Valdez is the son-in-law of Espinosa.
This is a developing story. Stay with NBC 6 South Florida for updates.
