A Rowland Heights duo was arrested and accused of running an illegal marijuana grow operation in a San Jacinto residential neighborhood, sheriff's officials said Sunday.
Deputies discovered the grow after serving a search warrant Saturday morning at a home in the 1900 block of Loreto Street, according to the Riverside County Sheriff's Department.
Inside, deputies found 12 makeshift grow rooms with 900 marijuana plants and 250 pounds of processed marijuana, according to Sgt. Julio Olguin. Authorities also allegedly found packaging material, digital scales, two fans, 30 lights and 41 ballast.
A California Edison crew was called to the home and found an illegal electrical bypass underneath the electrical meter, which resulted in a theft of utilities of about $180,000, Olguin said.
Deputies arrested Guiyu Luo, 40, at the property. A second suspect, Ying Zhu, 47, hid in a crawl space in the attic but was arrested with the help of the sheriff's SWAT team.
Both suspects were booked into the Cois Byrd Detention Center on suspicion of maintaining a drug house, theft of utilities and other marijuana- related crimes.
They were later released with citations.
