Oakland County narcotics officers seized 17 pounds of marijuana and over 200 plants from an alleged father/son operation in Orion Township Thursday.
James William Miller, 59, and Jason Charles Miller, 25, were arraigned in 52-3 District Court and are due back in court this week.
The pair resides on Rose Court, in the township’s northwest corner. It was at that home where officers executed a search warrant, revealing the marijuana, 35 Lidoderm patches, 100 methadone tablets, 100 Percocet tablets, two digital scales, 13 grow lights, 12 transformers, six boxes of packaging material, 14 timers and $4467, among other things.
‘This case is a disappointing head shaker,? said Sheriff Michael Bouchard. ‘To condone not only the use, but the manufacture and sale of drugs in a family operation is downright shameful.?
Bouchard said the grow/sale operation was put to a halt after a two-and-a-half-months long investigation, initiated by a tip to the county’s Narcotics Enforcement Team.
He said a search warrant was obtained to allow an aviation unit to survey the residence with a Forward Looking Infrared (FLIR) Camera.
‘The FLIR showed an unusually abundant amount of heat emitting from the basement, another sure indication of a grow operation,? a sheriff’s department press release noted.
OCSD Orion Substation Lieutenant Bruce Naile said his deputies worked in partnership with the narcotics team.
‘It was a pretty large grow operation,? Naile said.
‘I’d say it’s one of the larger inside operations we’ve ever seen.?
Naile said the operation was similar to one busted in Livingston County a week earlier, but there are no known connections between the two.
James Miller faces six counts, while his son faces five. Both men face two charges of conspiracy to commit controlled substance ? delivery/manufacture 5-45 kilograms of marijuana, two charges of controlled substance – delivery/manufacture 5-45 kilograms of marijuana, and one charge of possession of a controlled substance 25 to 50 grams.
In addition, the elder Miller faces a charge of possession of analogues.
Look for more on this story in next week’s Review.