'Operation Machete' effort by Miami-Dade Police shuts down marijuana hydroponics labs

They called it “Operation Machete,” the Jan. 11 effort by Miami-Dade Police to shut down marijuana hydroponics labs.

The sweep throughout Miami Dade County by the agency’s narcotics bureau simultaneously raided several residences. Police say the labs divert power lines and use multiple chemicals with poor ventilation, besides growing an illegal herb.

Police say they made 25 arrests from 25 grow houses, confiscated 7 firearms; $31, 708; 8 grams of marijuana; 30 grams of cocaine and 1,356 marijuana plants with a $4.5 million street value.

Investigators say Florida is one of the leading states in the country for grow houses.