Police seized more than 70 pounds of homegrown marijuana from a backyard in Springfield Gardens during a raid last week, law enforcement sources said on Tuesday, Oct. 3.
Officers from the 113th Precinct, as part of an investigation, executed a search warrant at a home on 153rd Street between Baisley Boulevard and 132nd Avenue at 5:10 a.m. on the morning of Sept. 26. Upon arriving, they encountered two residents, Paul Powell, 22, and Garfield Rhule, 43. They were later taken into custody.
During the search, police found 14 marijuana plants growing alongside corn and a fig tree in the backyard. They uprooted the plants, which produced more than 70 pounds of pot.
Law enforcement agents also seized various quantities of ammunition fitting .22-caliber, .45-caliber and .357-caliber weapons. Cops also found Powell in possession of numerous forged credit cards; Rhule was also found to have in his possession a gravity knife.
Powell and Rhule were taken into custody and charged with criminal possession of marijuana. Powell was additionally charged with possession of a forged instrument, while Rhule was also booked on a weapons possession charge.
Deputy Inspector Jerry O’Sullivan, commanding officer of the 113th Precinct, took to Twitter to congratulate the precinct’s Anti-Crime Team for their efforts.
113 Anti Crime with a search warrant yielding over 70 lbs of marijuana, 92 rounds of ammunition and forged credit cards. pic.twitter.com/Qw7cCnapRs
— NYPD 113th Precinct (@NYPD113Pct) October 3, 2017
