Two Pittsburgh men accused of marijuana grow operation
JEFFERSON TWP — Two men are accused of going hog wild on their alleged cannabis enterprise, turning a slaughterhouse into a sophisticated marijuana growing operation.
Inside the building on Saxonburg Road in Jefferson Township, police said they found four large grow rooms. On the property, they seized 95 suspected marijuana plants and an assortment of equipment needed to cultivate the illegal crop.
State police vice officers Wednesday arrested Phillip M. Mironov, 29, and Ebraheim M. Salem, 29, both of Pittsburgh, on felony and other charges stemming from the indoor grow operation.
Mironov is being held in the Butler County Prison on $250,000 bail. Salem was released after posting that same bail.
Officials with the U.S. Department of Agriculture, which carries out inspections of slaughterhouses, notified police Wednesday after learning of the suspected marijuana grow-op.
The owners of the property in the 1000 block of Saxonburg Road were renting the building to Salem, presumably “for the purpose of processing meat,” according to court documents.
But that turned out not to be the case. Investigators declined to say if they believe the owners knew what was actually going on inside.
Police noted their investigation continues.
Read more in Friday's edition of the Butler Eagle.
