courtesy of metro police
A view of a marijuana grow operation that was raided Friday, Sept. 26, 2014, at a residence in the 7700 block of Radcliff Street, near Robindale and Paradise roads.
Published Friday, Sept. 26, 2014 | 5 p.m.
Updated Friday, Sept. 26, 2014 | 7:45 p.m.
Police busted a husband and wife today in a marijuana grow operation after the husband allegedly posted videos documenting the plants' growth on YouTube.
Police said in a statement that Jason Pelletier and Stephanie Pelletier, both 35, are in custody after a search warrant was executed at their one-story rental house in the 7700 block of Radcliff Street, near the intersection of Robindale and Paradise roads.
Police counted 67 plants at the property, Metro Police Lt. Laz Chavez said.
Police originally reported that 200 plants were growing, but Chavez said officers now believe that the plants were harvested Wednesday or Thursday, as 6.5 pounds of dry marijuana were also found.
The plants were stored mainly in the garage but also in bedrooms and storage rooms around the home, he said.
Chavez said an anonymous tipster alerted authorities to the videos, in which an individual walks viewers through a space filled with what appear to be marijuana plants, discussing their growth conditions.
The YouTube user's videos go back several months, but the poster, Buddynuggets78, indicated in the description of a video posted Aug. 16 that the move to Las Vegas was a recent one.
Based on their investigation of the videos, the Southern Nevada Cannabis Operation and Regional Enforcement team executed the bust about a week and a half after the tip was received, Chavez said.
"They've helped us out substantially," Chavez said of the videos.
Chavez said a journal was found containing information on the grow operation, and he said there is evidence that marijuana was shipped to different states from the house.
The couple will be charged with possession with intent to sell, manufacturing marijuana and possession of marijuana, Chavez said.
He added that neither of the two residents appear to be legal medical marijuana patients.
Jason Pelletier has an extensive criminal history including gun and drug charges in other states, Chavez said.
Stephanie Pelletier has a nonviolent criminal history, he added.
During the bust, police discovered some electrical and water damage to the home, Chavez said.
According to Chavez, using rental homes in quiet neighborhoods to grow marijuana is becoming a trend, and neighbors and others have been increasingly notifying police.
"The tips have been coming in pretty regularly now," he said.
Join the Discussion:
Check this out for a full explanation of our conversion to the LiveFyre commenting system and instructions on how to sign up for an account.
Full comments policy