Ernest Lee Porter, 34, was arrested Friday, two days after deputies raided his Rio del Mar home
Ernest Lee Porter, 34, was arrested Friday, two days after deputies raided his Rio del Mar home, according to Sgt. Mark Yanez.Deputies confiscated about 450 plants from gardens set up in several rooms of the Loma Prieta Drive house and a couple of outbuildings, the Sheriff's Office reported.
"He had grows everywhere," Yanez said.Porter allegedly had about 10 pounds of marijuana either drying or packaged to sell and approximately $18,500 cash at his house, according to the Sheriff's Office.
During the search for pot, deputies also found almost a pound and a half of cocaine and two shotguns, Yanez said.Detectives believe that Porter, who lived in the house, was selling cocaine and marijuana. He told deputies he was a medicinal user, Yanez said."He's selling it, so he's outside of state guidelines," Yanez said. "We don't bust people for being out of the county guidelines. ... Generally cases we do that result in arrests are the people who are selling it."
Porter was arrested on suspicion of possessing for sale and transporting cocaine, possessing for sale and transporting of marijuana and enhancements for large quantity of cocaine and possessing firearms while possessing a controlled substance for sale, according to Yanez.Yanez said the marijuana grow tip came in Wednesday. Detectives did some follow-up investigation before going to a judge for a search warrant, which was served the same day. Porter was there when the raid started, but left.County Jail records showed Porter was taken into custody Friday afternoon at a home on the Eastside of Santa Cruz, booked into jail and later released on $100,000 bail.
