Man accused of operating miami grow houses and cultivating marijuana

June 26, 2009

Trafficking in Marijuana and operating grow houses has become big business in the Miami and South Florida area. A Miami criminal attorney at the law firm of Donet, McMillan and Trontz, P.A. is currently defending a marijuana trafficking case with 8 co-defendants. A similar case recently made the news. In Miami, Florida, law enforcement authorities recently arrested a man for operating more than twenty grow houses in an attempt to cultivate and traffic marijuana. Andy Rodriguez, 33, was part of a marijuana trafficking ring that would grow and cultivate marijuana in Miami and Port St. Lucie. Once Rodriguez completed the cultivation of the marijuana in the grow houses, he or his co-conspirators would use semi-trailers to move the marijuana to New Jersey and New York for sale.

Rodriguez was arrested by Port St. Lucie authorities and charged with three counts of trafficking in marijuana and a single charge of conspiracy to traffic in marijuana. Law enforcement finally arrested Rodriguez two years after three of his grow houses were busted where about a dozen people were arrested. Rodriguez was not present when those residence were raided.

Rodriguez was working with the Cepero family who used the business "Global Home Builders" as a cover. Rodriguez and his wife laundered the proceeds from the marijuana trafficking and grow house operation through real estate transactions using "Global Home Builders". Law enforcement authorities began investigating the pot growing and marijuana trafficking organization in August 2007 when state agents received information about a marijuana grow house and trafficking organization that operated in Miami and Port St. Lucie. Investigators revealed that "Global Home Builders" originally built legitimate homes, but turned to marijuana cultivation when the defendants found marijuana trafficking to be more profitable.

The criminal investigation revealed that Rodriguez owned five homes in St. Lucie County which were paid for using drug proceeds. He burned one of the houses down after he was arrested for mortgage fraud.

Rodriguez has been arrested in the past for food adulteration, marijuana sales, weapons possession and possession of controlled substances.

Suspected Marijuana Grow House Overseer in Port St. Lucie, Miami-Dade Arrested, TCPalm, June 24, 2009