10:06 PM, Nov 3, 2012
ASHEVILLE — Potting soil bags containing marijuana remnants found in a Dumpster at Brevard College were the first clue in the discovery of a sophisticated growing operation with more than 250 plants inside an Arden residence.
Police ultimately attached a GPS tracking device to a car belonging to someone seen dumping trash and tracked the vehicle to a house on Mount Royal Drive, according to court records.
Michael Scott Gumula faces federal charges of manufacturing and selling marijuana. His attorney, Andrew Banzhoff, filed a notice of intent to enter a conditional guilty plea in U.S. District Court in Asheville.
According to an affidavit filed by an agent with the State Bureau of Investigation, Brevard police found discarded potting soil bags at the college in March and April 2011. It was not known what prompted the police to search the Dumpster when the first evidence was discovered.
“The bags were recovered and found to contain dried marijuana, potting soil and other paraphernalia consistent with an indoor marijuana grow operation,” the document states.
Investigators installed a surveillance camera near the Dumpster, which caught images of a Toyota Prius pulling up and two people dumping in bags found to contain drug paraphernalia items.
Agents later installed a tracking device on the car, which led to the identification of the residence on Mount Royal Drive. A check of utility records showed the house was using four to five times as much electricity as neighboring homes, and the account was in Gumula’s name.
A search warrant was obtained, and investigators found a marijuana growing operation with more than 250 plants in three rooms, the affidavit states.
“Investigators recovered the plants as well as lights, ballasts, dehumidifiers, air filtration systems, growing chemicals, potting soil, Vortex power fans, lighting timers, a money counter, approximately 54 pounds of marijuana packaged for sale and miscellaneous drug paraphernalia.”
Gumula said the operation produced about two to three pounds of marijuana a month and that he sold it for $3,800-$4,200 a pound, according to court records.
ASHEVILLE — Potting soil bags containing marijuana remnants found in a Dumpster at Brevard College were the first clue in the discovery of a sophisticated growing operation with more than 250 plants inside an Arden residence.
Police ultimately attached a GPS tracking device to a car belonging to someone seen dumping trash and tracked the vehicle to a house on Mount Royal Drive, according to court records.
Michael Scott Gumula faces federal charges of manufacturing and selling marijuana. His attorney, Andrew Banzhoff, filed a notice of intent to enter a conditional guilty plea in U.S. District Court in Asheville.
According to an affidavit filed by an agent with the State Bureau of Investigation, Brevard police found discarded potting soil bags at the college in March and April 2011. It was not known what prompted the police to search the Dumpster when the first evidence was discovered.
“The bags were recovered and found to contain dried marijuana, potting soil and other paraphernalia consistent with an indoor marijuana grow operation,” the document states.
Investigators installed a surveillance camera near the Dumpster, which caught images of a Toyota Prius pulling up and two people dumping in bags found to contain drug paraphernalia items.
Agents later installed a tracking device on the car, which led to the identification of the residence on Mount Royal Drive. A check of utility records showed the house was using four to five times as much electricity as neighboring homes, and the account was in Gumula’s name.
A search warrant was obtained, and investigators found a marijuana growing operation with more than 250 plants in three rooms, the affidavit states.
“Investigators recovered the plants as well as lights, ballasts, dehumidifiers, air filtration systems, growing chemicals, potting soil, Vortex power fans, lighting timers, a money counter, approximately 54 pounds of marijuana packaged for sale and miscellaneous drug paraphernalia.”
Gumula said the operation produced about two to three pounds of marijuana a month and that he sold it for $3,800-$4,200 a pound, according to court records.
hi, used to spend abit of time cutting left overs up with metal guillotine,tedius, but worked, spread it around garden ,used coco, perlite, etc ,no root balls to count, bastards took photos, but none of garden stuff. be good maybe to have a garden,mulcher ready ,set to go,vooom chew em up, if you knew they were coming.
Fixed it.
