Raids on four houses, including one in Caroline County, net more than 1,000 marijuana plants and one person's arrest.

Date published: 6/21/2005

By CHELYEN DAVIS and BECKY PIEDEL

RICHMOND--Authorities have arrested one man and are seeking a Tappahannock man after a drug raid on four houses, including one in Caroline County, netted more than 1,000 marijuana plants.

In a news conference in Richmond yesterday, state police said a citizen's tip led them to investigate two houses--in Ruther Glen and Powhatan--in which high-quality marijuana was being grown for sale, and two more houses in Tappahannock and Colonial Heights.

Law enforcement officials led a raid on those houses last week. The raid netted 1,084 marijuana plants and about 3 pounds of processed marijuana. Police said it was high-quality marijuana with an estimated street value of about $3.3 million, making it one of the biggest drug busts in the state.

Documents and three vehicles also were seized, but no weapons were found at any of the houses.

Police arrested a Powhatan man, David Trc Luong, 36, and are seeking Luu Dinh, 35, of 830 Kino Road in Tappahannock, in connection with the marijuana-growing operation. Luong owns the Caroline and Powhatan houses. He faces charges in Caroline and Powhatan counties for conspiracy to manufacture marijuana, manufacturing marijuana and possession of marijuana with intent to distribute.

Additionally, both counties are considering felony charges relating to the illegal use of electrical power: The houses had been wired to bypass the electric meters, preventing utilities from detecting the thousands of kilowatt-hours consumed by the plants' powerful grow lights. The operators were, in effect, using power without paying for it.

The Caroline County house, at 25308 Ruther Glen Road, contained 944 marijuana plants.

"It was unbelievable. It was huge," said Caroline Sheriff Tony Lippa.

The house sat on 15 acres, at the end of a long gravel driveway, in an isolated part of the county. Neighbors did drive by it on occasion, though, and pains had been taken to make it look lived-in. The yard was mowed, for example, and the outside maintained, Lippa said.

Sure, the people kept odd hours--they would come home, then usually leave an hour or two later. But next-door neighbor Denise Young heard they were restaurant owners, so their coming and going made sense to her.

Date published: 6/21/2005