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They found my grow next to the Kardashians!

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The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department arrested two men who were allegedly involved in the operation, which included an electrical bypass and sophisticated equipment to harvest the weed.

Investigators seized about 1,000 marijuana plants, 40 pounds of processed marijuana product, 47 ballasts, 37 high-intensity lights and an unregistered .40-caliber Beretta semiautomatic handgun, according to the Sheriff's Department.

Robert Larue, 54, of Lawndale, and Mauricio Lara, 50, of Los Angeles, were arrested Wednesday morning at a home on Oakfield Road in Hidden Hills.
Larue told investigators he was hired as a construction worker while Lara said he was the gardener for the estate.

"But he wasn't working on the front lawn, that's for sure," said Sgt. Marc Katz of the sheriff's Malibu/Lost Hills Station.

A search warrant was served by the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Narcotics investigators after a two week investigation that was prompted by an anonymous tipster, Katz said.

The marijuana alone is estimated to have a street value of up to $1 million while the electrical equipment to grow the weed is said to be valued in the tens of thousands of dollars, Katz said.

"This is actually one of the more sophisticated

grow operations we've come across," Katz said. "Whoever they hired to install the electrical equipment needed to maintain this grow definitely knew what he was doing."

Southern California Edison is currently investigating an electrical bypass that was installed at the home to steal power for the illicit marijuana grow, Katz said.

Investigators were unsure Friday how long the grow operation had been occurring at the Hidden Hills home.

"It's definitely unusual," Katz said. "It's the first I've ever heard in that area."

The home is owned by an out-of-state couple, but is being rented out, Katz said. Investigators are still searching for the woman who actually rents the home.

The west San Fernando Valley city of Hidden Hills, which spans just under 2 square miles and has a population of 2,017, is home to a slew of celebrities from Kris Kardashian and her husband, Olympic athlete Bruce Jenner, to Ozzy and Sharon Osbourne, Jennifer Lopez, Nicollette Sheridan and LeAnn Rimes.

Homes on Oakfield Road are listed at $1.5 million or more.

Larue and Lara were booked at Malibu/Lost Hills sheriff's station for cultivating, selling, furnishing and transporting marijuana and theft of utilities.

They were released from sheriff's custody Wednesday afternoon after posting $100,000 bond.

Lara, however, is under federal custody due to a hold by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Katz said.

Larue is due in court Oct. 30 at the Van Nuys Courthouse.