3 arrested in marijuana bust
JEFFERSON – State police arrested three Pittsburgh-area men Friday after finding them tending a crop of marijuana growing in an enclosed area behind a chicken coop on a farm off Pyle Road in Morgan Township.
At the farm, police found 92 marijuana plants ranging in size from 2 to 6 feet tall as well as a sophisticated indoor growing and marijuana processing operation in a barn on the property.
Arrested were the owner of the 132-acre farm, Athanase “Tom” Petropoulas, 74, of 1219 Kelton Ave., Dormont; and the two men working at the farm, Christopher Joseph McGee, 44, of 1131 Arkansas Ave., Pittsburgh; and Michael Wilson Bish, 35, of 3267 Eastmont Ave., Pittsburgh.
Trooper Tim Gilbert and Cpl. Jeremy Barni went to the farm at 191 Pyle Road Friday after receiving a tip Petropolous was growing marijuana at his home.
They met Petropolous’ wife, Effi, at the farm house and explained to her why they were there, said Trooper Matthew Jardine, public information officer. She told the troopers they would have to talk to her husband and escorted them across the road to the chicken coop.
“When she opened the chicken coop door, they saw the marijuana inside,” Jardine said. The three men were standing in the midst of the plants. A cardboard box filled with marijuana buds also was at Bish’s feet.
The marijuana was growing in an area enclosed in a fence of corrugated metal and wood. It also had a covering that would allow the plants to receive light from the sun but hid them from view from the road or the sky, Jardine said.
From the road, the chicken coop “looked like a typical dilapidated farm building,” he said.
Police took the men into custody and obtained a search warrant for the property, Jardine said.
In a barn, also on the property, police found a growing and marijuana processing operation, with grow lights, an irrigation system, fertilizers, carbon dioxide and various chemicals, Jardine said. The barn also included an area for drying marijuana, he said.
Police estimated the street value of the marijuana at $200,000. Two handguns and three vehicles also were found on the property and seized.
The men were arraigned before District Judge Lee Watson on charges of manufacture of a controlled substance, possession of a controlled substance, possession with intent to deliver a controlled substance and conspiracy.
The three were placed in Greene County jail on bond. Petropoulos’ bond was set at $10,000; McGee’s at $15,000; and Bish’s at $20,000. Their preliminary hearings are scheduled for 2 p.m. Tuesday before Watson.