A suspected marijuana grow house in Hialeah has two parents in custody and children found inside in the hands of the Department of Children and Families.
The raid happened Monday at an apartment complex on West 25th Court and West 60th Street. 41-year-old Rolando Naranjo and 32-year-old Betsy Espinoza were arrested and are facing multiple counts, including marijuana possession, possession of manufacturing equipment and child neglect.
Police say they had received a call after a teacher for the couple's 11-year-old child said his clothes smelled like marijuana. Once they entered the home, they found the parents, the 11-year-old and a four-year-old child were living in one room while the other bedroom in the apartment was being used to grow the drug.
A police report said there was very little food in the house as well as mold growing and dirty clothes throughout the home - along with no way to prevent the kids from entering the room with the drugs.
Officials confiscated 10 marijuana plants, weighing a total of 31 pounds, along with high wattage lamps, scales, pipes and other items used for distribution and sale. The apartment is located less than 1000 feet from Ben Shepherd Elementary School.