AUTHORITIES SEIZE MARIJUANA PLANTS

A man who had legal permission to grow 12 marijuana plants for two people's
medical use was found Thursday with almost 150 plants growing at his house,
the Stanislaus County Sheriff's Department reported.

The pot plants on Dallas Road came to deputies' attention about 12:30 p.m.
Thursday, after someone saw 20 mature plants growing in a back yard and
called authorities, said Sgt. Mike Richards.

When deputies reached the house, which is southeast of Crows Landing and
Hatch roads, they found about 147 plants, Richards said.

Not only were there 20 adult plants in the yard, but a shed held more than
100 immature sprouting plants, pampered with grow lights and humidifiers.

A man living at the house, Anthony Castro, showed deputies that he and his
brother had valid medical marijuana users' certificates from the Oakland
Cannabis Club, Richards said.

Castro's age and the name and age of his brother were not immediately
available Friday from the Sheriff's Department.

Richards said that just because two people possess medical marijuana users'
certificates, that doesn't give them the right to have 147 marijuana plants.

He said they're each allowed to have 12 immature plants or six mature
plants for medical use.

Deputies let Castro keep six mature plants for himself and six for his
brother. They seized the rest. No arrests had been made as of Friday
evening, Richards said.