New charges filed against suspected pot growers

New charges were filed Tuesday against the five people arrested on suspicion of growing marijuana.

Wilson Rodriguez, 40, of Brooksville; Javier Verde, 35, of Opa Locka; Jarol Zamora, 34, of Tampa; Yunet Batista-Pena, 25, of Weeki Wachee; and Edilberto Escobar Serrano, 25, of Weeki Wachee were charged with drug trafficking.

Batista-Pena and Serrano, who live at the 11480 Manassas Avenue home where the pot was allegedly being cultivated, also were charged with knowingly living in a drug-trafficking home.

The Hernando County Sheriff's Office was called to the Manassas Avenue house Tuesday for an alleged home invasion, according to an arrest report.

Some of the drugs were stolen and the people inside the house called authorities to report the crime, deputies said.

When deputies entered the home, they noticed it was a marijuana grow operation, according to the report.

The suspects in the home invasion reportedly left with up to five pounds of marijuana. A search of the home led to the discovery of 59 marijuana stalks, irrigation equipment and other materials consistent with a grow house, deputies said.

In all, more than 40 pounds of marijuana were seized, the report showed.

The five suspects connected to the grow house already had been charged with cultivation of marijuana.