4 arrested in Tampa grow house raids

TAMPA -- Four men were arrested and nearly 200 marijuana plants were seized at two Tampa grow houses Tuesday afternoon, according to the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office.

At about 4:30 p.m., sheriff's office detectives raided 9019 Tree Valley Circle, where they found 152 marijuana plants, high-power lights and electrical equipment. During the investigation, detectives discovered that another house, 833 Lutz Lake Fern Road was also used as a grow house. They found 36 more plants there. The total street value for the marijuana is $540,000, according to the detectives.

The suspects -- Jesus Fonseca Sanchez, 55, of 9019 Tree Valley Circle; Lazaro Avila Perez, 43, of 8680 Leeward Drive; Jasan Arguelles, 27, of 833 Lutz Lake Fern Road W; and Frank Cendeno, 35, also of 833 Lutz Lake Fern Road W -- were charged with manufacturing, trafficking and possessing marijuana, in addition to theft of electricity and possession of drug paraphernalia.

Perez and Cendeno also were charged with violating probation -- Perez for an older DUI charge and Cendeno for formerly possessing cocaine, possessing drug paraphernalia and a DUI charge.

They all were taken to the Orient Road Jail.

-- Kim Wilmath, Times Staff Writer