Deputies Bust Alleged Marijuana Grow House Near Mann Middle School

When country singer Toby Keith wrote his hit "Red Solo Cup," this probably isn't what he had in mind.

Deputies busted an alleged marijuana grow house about 100 feet from in Brandon on Tuesday, seizing 42 pounds of pot growing in red Solo cups, plus cash and guns.

Fifty-four marijuana plants, with an estimated street value of $168,000, were found at 308 Larson Ave. when deputies executed a search warrant at 5:56 a.m. Tuesday, March 27, according to the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office.

They also discovered three rooms converted "for the sole purpose of growing marijuana," sheriff's office spokesperson Debbie Carter said in a media release. The rooms had with lights and fans and a secondary A/C unit.

Deputies also seized $7,600 in cash, a 2003 Ford F-350 truck and two firearms.

Arianny Salvia-Cartaya, 29, admitted to growing the marijauna, Carter said.

He faces a bevy of charges, including: armed trafficking in marijuana; manufacture in marijuana; owning, leasing or renting for the purpose of trafficking; possession of marijuana with intent to sell; and possession of drug paraphernalia.

Salvia-Cartaya is also charged with theft of electricity after deputies said he had an illegal connection into TECO's main service that allowed for unmetered electricity.

A similar incident was reported last month in Brandon, when the sheriff's office and seized about 50 pounds of marijuana.