Additional grow house discovered in massive 3-county pot bust, cops say

Police arrested 56-year-old Trung Nguyen as he tried to run from officers who surrounded the home, authorities said. Nguyen is the 17th suspect to be arrested in connection with the large drug operation, police said.

According to Gwinnett police, the estimated street value of the plants and processed marijuana seized at the Ellenwood home was more than $1.3 million.

Credit: Gwinnett County Police Department

Credit: Gwinnett County Police Department

Wednesday’s bust brings the total number of grow houses raided in Clayton, Gwinnett and Henry counties to six. Gwinnett police said the homes were embedded in the community and  that“no one would have suspected” they harbored large drug operations.

Each home searched last week averaged between 340 and 1,500 pot plants and contained sophisticated equipment to manufacture high-grade marijuana, Gwinnett police said in a news release. An 8,500-square-foot grow house in the 6000 block of Williams Road was the largest one busted.

Credit: Gwinnett County Police Department

Credit: Gwinnett County Police Department

The other locations were in the 700 block of Bartow Drive in Dacula, 400 block of Hastings Way in Jonesboro, 2200 block of South Ola Road in Locust Grove and 1500 block of Pine Circle in Lawrenceville, the release said.

A total of 3,174 plants were seized in addition to THC candies, THC oil, cocaine, illegal mushrooms, 22 firearms, more than $676,000 in cash and six vehicles, the release said. The estimated street value of the drugs seized was about $35 million.

Credit: Gwinnett County Police Department

Credit: Gwinnett County Police Department

The suspects are accused of belonging to two large drug trafficking organizations that were sending drugs across the Southeast, the release said.

Trung remains held at the Gwinnett County jail on charges of attempt or conspiracy to violate Georgia’s Controlled Substances Act, records show.

Here’s a list of the 16 other people arrested in the case and their charges:

• Aiqiu Luo, 39, Norcross, possession, manufacture, distribution or sale of controlled substances or marijuana;

• Bui Men, 52, Dacula, possession, manufacture, distribution or sale of controlled substances or marijuana;

• Duy Nguyen, 26, Lilburn, possession of marijuana;

• Jia Zhao, 42, Duluth, two counts of possession of a Schedule I controlled substance, one count of possession of marijuana with intent to distribute and one count of possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony;

• Jin Huang, 45, Lilburn, trafficking of marijuana and attempt or conspiracy to violate the Georgia Controlled Substances Act;

• Jun Huang, 42, Lilburn, two counts of possession of a Schedule II controlled substance, one count of possession of a Schedule I or II controlled substance with the intent to distribute and one count of possession of a Schedule II, IV or V controlled substance with the intent to distribute;

• Linlin Teng, 30, Lawrenceville, attempt or conspiracy to violate the Georgia Controlled Substances Act;

• Man Lam, 34, Duluth, possession of marijuana with intent to distribute;

• Michael Luong, 27, Tucker, possession of a Schedule I controlled substance and possession of a Schedule I or II controlled substance with the intent to distribute;

• Phuong Tran, 54, Lawrenceville, trafficking in marijuana and attempt or conspiracy to violate the Georgia Controlled Substances Act;

• Shy Yong, 37, Lilburn, possession of marijuana;

• Terry Liu, 32, Duluth, attempt or conspiracy to violate the Georgia Controlled Substances Act;

• Tommy Luong, 31, Tucker, attempt or conspiracy to violate the Georgia Controlled Substances Act;

• Tuyen Pham, 48, Snellville, attempt or conspiracy to violate the Georgia Controlled Substances Act;

• Vuong Luu, 54, Jonesboro, attempt or conspiracy to violate the Georgia Controlled Substances Act;

• Xinde Li, 41, Lawrenceville, possession, manufacture, distribution or sale of controlled substances or marijuana.

The investigation was conducted by the Gwinnett County Police Department along with the Gwinnett County District Attorney’s Office, Gwinnett Metro Drug Task Force, FBI, U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration and several other local and federal agencies.