May 5, 2009
Brandon Haught
Public Information Office

UNDERGROUND MARIJUANA GROWING OPERATION FOUND IN DELEON SPRINGS

A marijuana growing operation in DeLeon Springs went underground. Literally. Narcotics agents with the Volusia Bureau of Investigation responded to complaints of unusual activity around 1260 Cherokee Drive, a residential dirt road in a remote area. After a two-month investigation, a deputy tried to talk with the 38-year-old homeowner as the man pulled into his driveway Monday afternoon. But the suspect instead attempted to flee and nearly ran over the investigator as he sped away. The dirt road foiled his escape, though. His truck got mired in the soft sand and the deputy was able to quickly secure him. Orestes Olmo finally gave permission to the investigator to search the home, but a couple of dogs in the yard needed to be secured first. As animal control officers rounded up the animals, the investigator watched from nearby and noticed the strong aroma of marijuana plants coming from the ground under him. Further searching of the property revealed a ventilation shaft as well. Nighttime was fast approaching, and the investigators decided to secure the property for the evening and come back with a search warrant in the morning.

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Tuesday morning investigators found one of the most elaborate marijuana growing operations ever seen in Volusia County. A workbench in the garage had a trapdoor built into its base. Under that door was a hole in the concrete floor that led to an underground passage which in turn tunneled underground for 65 feet from the garage to an area under a large storage shed in the backyard. The crawlspace tunnel opened up into an underground bedroom complete with a bed, monitors hooked up to surveillance cameras, a computer and loaded weapons. Another room opened up into a fully equipped grow room with air conditioning, irrigation and a wall panel bristling with wires and electrical outlets. Yet another grow room was found beyond the first one, all under the backyard dirt next to the storage shed.

Investigators didn’t risk crawling through the narrow confines of the tunnel, but did find a trap door in the floor of the shed that let them drop right down into the underground bedroom. Investigators spent the morning hauling 219 marijuana plants and equipment out through that trapdoor.

Olmo was transported to the Volusia County Branch Jail in Daytona Beach Monday night charged with aggravated assault, resisting arrest without violence, possession of a concealed weapon, and possession of a stolen weapon. On Tuesday he was also charged with cultivation of marijuana with intent to distribute, maintain a residence to manufacture marijuana, and possession of drug paraphernalia. Also on Tuesday, investigators obtained a search warrant for a storage unit in Orange City rented by Olmo. About eight pounds of processed marijuana was discovered there.

VBI is a multi-agency task force that pools resources from nine local, state and federal law enforcement agencies in order to target mid- and upper-level narcotics traffickers as well as racketeering and organized crime. Participating agencies include the Volusia County Sheriff’s Office, Florida Department of Law Enforcement, the Attorney’s General’s Office of Statewide Prosecution, Daytona Beach Police Department, Daytona Beach Shores Department of Public Safety, DeLand.