Man charged with trafficking out on bond
A Cape Coral man accused of growing marijuana has been released from jail on bond.
Jair Baluja-Martinez, 39, of 931 Skyline Blvd., was arrested and charged Tuesday with marijuana traffick excess of 25 pounds or 300 plants or more, marijuana producing, drug equipment possess and or use and drugs traffick possess structure vehicle know traffic drugs, the booking records report.
As of Wednesday, he had been released from the Lee County Jail on $37,500 bond.
According to officials, the Cape Coral police obtained and served a search warrant at 2416 N.E. 22nd Place on Tuesday after receiving information that a marijuana grow house operation was inside.
The search yielded 80 marijuana plants, weighing a total of 137 pounds.
Officials reported that the seized drugs have a street value in excess of $100,000.
“Our VIN detectives and SCU officers did an outstanding job in taking another marijuana grow operation down ‘by the numbers,'” Sgt. Dana Coston, the spokesman for the CCPD, said in a prepared statement. “Effective intelligence gathering, plus solid police work to corroborate the information, led to the warrant being served quickly, tactically and safely.”
“This is a win for the neighborhood, which can sleep safer knowing this element is no longer there operating near their homes, their families and their children,” he added.
Baluja-Martinez has a court appearance scheduled for Dec. 2.