2 men charged in raid of indoor marijuana farm

Deputies seize 795 marijuana plants being grown in a sophisticated hydroponic operation.

By ANGELA MOORE

© St. Petersburg Times, published January 24, 2001

RIVERVIEW -- Two men have been charged with growing an estimated $400,000 worth of marijuana in a mobile home in the Tropical Acres neighborhood and in a rural home in Balm.

James Frederick Stull, 36, of 11715 Rose Lane in Riverview and Mark Douglas Pearce, 36, of 14837 McGrady Road in Balm were charged with manufacturing and trafficking in marijuana Monday night. Bail was set at $12,500 each. By Tuesday night, both had been released on bail.

Sheriff's spokesman Lt. Rod Reder said Stull and Pearce were operating sophisticated hydroponic growing systems out of the expanded mobile home and the larger home. Both are rented.

"They had a double-insulated growing room with lighting in the ceiling, a water system and fans," Reder said. "(In one house) they had a separate cellar for their equipment."

Hydroponically grown marijuana is highly potent and therefore much more expensive than run-of-the-mill marijuana, Reder said. A pound of marijuana usually costs about $700. A pound of "hydro" costs up to $4,000.

Deputies seized 795 marijuana plants in various stages of development, officials said. Pearce was arrested during the raid. Stull had been arrested a few hours earlier at another Riverview address.

Reder said he could not comment on how detectives learned of the cultivation.

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