Yonkers- Drug Bust 9-20-06

[Stewie 1]

Does anybody know what went on last night on the exot ramp from the cross county parkway west to the saw mill north at around 8:30. there were six county police cars there and a helicopter overhead. Just wondering it looked like a pretty active scene.

[CAM502 6]

The cops pulled up on what appeared to be an abandoned vehicle...they saw a man in the woods....he ran...they chased...found 15-20 large pot plants. It was on news 12 last night.

[CAM502 6]

It was a bigger bust then I thought.

Teens accused of harvesting marijuana crop

By RICHARD LIEBSON

THE JOURNAL NEWS

(Original publication: September 22, 2006)

Three apparently green-thumbed New Rochelle teenagers have been accused of growing marijuana in a clearing near the Cross County and Saw Mill River parkway interchange in Yonkers, the Westchester County police said yesterday.

The police cut down 75 to 100 pot plants yesterday that were discovered shortly after 6 p.m. Wednesday, when Officer Kenneth Mignone noticed a car parked on the side of the Cross County Parkway and saw a man jogging into the woods near the old Putnam Line railroad bridge. He was joined by county police detectives, who stopped after seeing Mignone's patrol car.

After walking a short distance, police said, they found a 15-by-40 foot marijuana field and three men who appeared to have been harvesting the crop.

"We're talking about mature, 6- to 7-foot-tall plants,'' Capt. John Hodges said yesterday. "There weren't any runts.''

The police said they also found plastic bags and gardening tools.

Duane Alvarez and Ivan Gutierrez, both 19, and Juan Mejia, 16, all of New Rochelle, were taken to police headquarters, where they were charged with second-degree attempted possession of marijuana, a felony, and fifth-degree conspiracy, a misdemeanor.

Asked whether the individuals were selling the pot, Hodges said the matter was under investigation.

"We can't say for certain, but 75 to 100 plants seems like a lot of recreational use, unless you're a really, really heavy user,'' he said. "They're all gone now — we picked them all for evidence.''

Hodges said he could not estimate the street value of the plants because the buds had not yet been processed for sale.

Alvarez, Gutierrez and Mejia were released without bail. They are due in Yonkers City Court on Oct. 17.