Media Release
Date: July 23, 2010
Time: 11:00 PM
On 07/23/2010 at 4:36 pm the Levy County Sheriff's Office Drug Task Force executed a search warrant at 9450 NW 60th Street Chiefland. The residence is under the control of Rocky Randell Lanier and prior to Agents arrival he attempted to destroy his indoor marijuana grow house. Lanier pulled all his marijuana plants up, bagged them in trash bags and hid them in the woods behind his garage. A total of one hundred and three (103) marijuana plants and marijuana root balls were collected and placed into evidence. The garage had been transformed into an indoor marijuana grow with two rooms inside. These rooms were full of grow equipment to include the following: fertilizers, automatic watering systems, grow dan, 11 grow lights, 12 ballasts and numerous other pieces of equipment used in cultivation of marijuana.
Inside Lanier's residence investigators found a total of two hundred twenty one (221) grams of processed marijuana in various locations from the kitchen to Lanier's master bedroom. Multiple marijuana smoking devices were discovered throughout the residence to include a modified gas mask to smoke marijuana, digital scales, rolling papers, a tablet identified as Morphine Sulfate 30 mg DEA Schedule II narcotic, .22 cal. rifles, 12 gauge Shotgun and a 30-30 rifle were also found in Lanier's residence.
Lanier stated that he didn't harm anyone that he kept to himself, and it wasn't like he was bringing "stuff" in across the Mexico border.
This case originally began when an electric company employee contacted this officer advising that he was conducting routine service checks at the Lanier's residence and smelled a strong odor of marijuana coming from the residence. Lanier left the residence prior to Agents arrival but he was located in the Fowlers Bluff area. When Agents made contact with Lanier he reeked of marijuana and had marijuana leaves all over his clothing and inside the vehicle.
The seizure was more than 105,000 dollars in drugs and drug equipment.
Defendant:
Rocky Randell Lanier
9450 NW 60TH Street
Chiefland, Fl.
W/M, 01/29/63
Charges:
Cultivation of marijuana
Possession of drug Paraphernalia
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Major Evan Sullivan
Levy County Sheriff's Office
FBI-National Academy 183rd Session
Office: 352-486-5446
Cell: 352-577-4218