The indoor marijuana grow houses thriving in the area have caught media attention, as the number police detectives are locating has surged. Law enforcement officers with the Florida Domestic Marijuana Eradication Program seized thousands of marijuana plants last year in connection with their operations - many of them undercover and fueled by informants' tips. But what becomes of the marijuana after the law enforcement agency seizes it?
Typically, the police keep the marijuana as evidence. Officers carefully package and label the seized plants, keeping track of them in an evidence warehouse with strict accounting procedures. Then, if and when a criminal defendant's case goes to trial, the State Attorney's Office requests that the police produce the marijuana or other controlled substance at trial. The police officer can testify to the "chain" of possession of the contraband, from its seizure to cataloguing as evidence to its transport to the courthouse for trial. The same procedure is used for other seized evidence important for prosecutor, such as drug paraphernalia and weapons.
Pinellas County law enforcement officials periodically burn drugs and other illicit items that are no longer necessary for prosecution. If a defendant pleads guilty or is convicted at a trial, and there are no appeals or the appeals have been exhausted, the officers are cleared to dispose of the items. The items burned include large quantities of marijuana, child pornography, and other illegal items. Officials are hoping to increase the frequency with which they are permitted to burn the items, due to the growth of a poisonous mold on marijuana plants left in the hot warehouses. The mold is toxic for humans and can cause respiratory illness. None of the warehouses used for evidence storage have air conditioning or fans, so the plants frequently mold, according to a sergeant from the Pinellas County Sheriff's Office. "It doesn't matter what you put it in, it gets moldy. It really is horribly nasty," Sergeant Michael Dailey said.
If you have been arrested for possession of marijuana or cultivating marijuana plants, contact the Tampa drug defense attorneys at Musca Law as soon as possible.
