Police: Joliet couple had 71 marijuana plants
By Brian Stanley bstanley@stmedianetwork.com February 13, 2013 12:56PM
Randy E. Mota
Maps
Updated: March 15, 2013 1:24PM
Police say a Joliet couple had 71 marijuana plants in their home before a task force raid early Tuesday.
Sgt. Mike Fisher said the department’s narcotics officers, who work with the Drug Enforcement Administration, had begun investigating Randy E. Mota, 28, and believed he was selling marijuana.
Early Tuesday, officers used a search warrant to raid 6512 Ross Drive in Joliet, where they found the plants, 18 pounds of marijuana, four handguns and a rifle, Fisher said.
Mota was booked into the county jail on charges of aggravated unlawful use of a weapon, production of marijuana plants, delivery of marijuana and marijuana possession, while his wife, Nicole Mota, 26, was jailed for marijuana possession.
Fisher said police still were investigating if the Motas’ operation was connected to the Tipperary Lane house officers raided two weeks ago to find “the largest and most sophisticated grow operation ever seen in Plainfield.”
The two-story house in the King’s Crossing subdivision was exclusively used as a marijuana farm, with a network of heaters, lamps, ventilation and an irrigation system for its crops that stood up to 3 feet high.
On Jan. 29, authorities reportedly found 100 pills of Ecstasy and an enormous amount of marijuana — many pounds of loose pot and 92 plants with an estimated street value of more than $500,000.
Quy Doan, 30, of 298 Zinnia Drive in Romeoville, was charged with drug possession, marijuana possession, delivery of drugs, delivery of marijuana and possession of cannabis plants.
Kings Crossing saw another drug arrest Feb. 5 when officers stopped a couple in a suspicious vehicle and smelled marijuana, Fisher said.
“They found 101 grams (of marijuana) and a loaded Glock (handgun) in a concealed area,” Fisher said.
Erik F. Mota, 30, of 5618 S. Campbell Ave. in Chicago, was arrested on charges of delivery of marijuana, aggravated unlawful use of a weapon and possession of drug paraphernalia. He has been released from custody after posting $1,000 bail.
Reports indicate Erik Mota and Randy Mota are brothers.
The woman in Erik Mota’s vehicle, a resident of Tipperary Lane, was released without charge.
