Crime & Safety

More Than 500 Marijuana Plants Found at Johnston House; Resident Charged

Federal agents raided a home in Johnston Wednesday and the resident now faces charges in the case.

More than 500 marijuana plants were seized during a drug bust at a Johnston house Wednesday.

The Des Moines Register reported Timothy Lantz was charged with knowingly and intentionally manufacturing marijuana after the plants were found at a home at 7323 Longboat Drive in Johnston Wednesday morning.

According to court documents, agents were first alerted to the growing operation in November 2010, after a manager at a storage unit northeast of Des Moines found growing materials including 500 plastic posts and 40 Harvest Pro 600 Watt inverters, the Register reported.

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Detectives then tracked the names on the lease to a Facebook page showing a man holding marijuana plants. The same man was also linked to a second house searched on Wednesday at 7212 Longboat Drive.

Court documents revealed authorities removed roughly 150 small marijuana plants and 400 potted plants from the home at 7323 Longboat.

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KCCI.com reports a neighbor tipped Johnston Police to the house in April 2012 regarding a suspicious activity.

In Wednesday's raid, the TV station quotes court documents that say agents found hundreds of potted marijuana "plants within the basement in various stages of growth, along with sophisticated electrical systems, lighting systems, ventilation systems, and watering systems that had been installed within the residence to support the indoor marijuana grow operation." 


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