Police Bust Extensive Pot Growing Operation

SILVER SPRING, Md. - A three-story home that was converted for marijuana growing has been closed down, police said Thursday.

The home in the 10,000 block of Gardner Avenue in the Forest Glen section of Silver Spring was filled with marijuana plants, growing lights and other indoor growing equipment, Montgomery County police said.

Investigators seized 407 marijuana plants, as well as 25 pounds of ground marijuana and one quart of hashish oil, which can be derived from ground marijuana, police said.

Working with Maryland State Police, Prince George's County police and District of Columbia police, investigators also raided a garage in Hyattsville, Md., where they found more lights and growing equipment and a small amount of Marijuana, and a home in the 3900 block of Cathedral Street in Northwest Washington, where they found one pound of marijuana and $85,000 in cash.

A man who lives in the Cathedral Street home, Medard Duquette, 49, turned himself in Thursday and was being held on a variety of drug charges.

(Copyright 2006 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)