Police busted a major marijuana growing operation in Forest Lake on Saturday, arresting three men, seizing property and confiscating more than 650 marijuana plants found growing in a greenhouse. Chief of Police Clark Quiring said the street value of the marijuana was $500,000.

With search warrant in hand, police raided the operation at 9797 N. 202nd St. shortly after noon on Saturday. The raid came in partnership with the Washington County Narcotics Task Force and information supplied by the Minneapolis Police Department. The greenhouse growing operation was equipped with automated lighting, watering and fertilizing systems, Quiring said.

Police arrested three men on felony first degree controlled substance charges. They are: John Gregory Payton, 36, Woodbury; Antonio Ray Okeefe, 38, Coon Rapids; and Emmanuel Pierre Margreth, 37, Coon Rapids. They were booked and held in the Washington County Jail.

Police in Woodbury executed a search warrant at Paytonís residence where support documentation was found, Quiring said. The chief said the Forest Lake home on 202nd St. has been owned by Payton since last July. Police have seized the home, three vehicles, a water bike and a motorcycle.

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Forest Lake Times
P.O. Box 218
880 SW 15 St.
Forest Lake, MN 55025
651-464-4601
Fax 651-464-4605