SHUTESBURY RAID BRINGS CHARGES

SHUTESBURY -- Two Shutesbury residents have been arrested on charges
relating to a marijuana-growing room in the cellar of their home, police say.

[name deleted], 26, and [name deleted], 30, both of [address deleted], were
arrested Sunday at 11:30 a.m. at their home on charges of possession of
marijuana and possession of marijuana with intent to distribute, said
Shutesbury officer Thomas Burger.

Both were released on $1,000 cash bail from Orange District Court.

Burger said Monday that the department responded to an adjoining residence
for a routine call when the illegal substances were located.

Burger, along with Sgt. Gary Thomann, Amherst police officers and the
Hampshire/Franklin Drugs Narcotics Task Force, subsequently conducted a
search warrant and confiscated between 15 and 20 pounds of marijuana, more
than $500 in cash, three dozen marijuana pipes and other narcotics, Burger
said.

These additional narcotics have been sent to a lab to be tested to
determine if more charges will be filed, Burger said.

In the basement police said they discovered what they called an elaborate
growing operation with air movers, timers, ultraviolet lights,
carbon-dioxide infusers and temperature controllers. Valued at thousands of
dollars, these items were all confiscated.

"An entire room in the house was dedicated to the cultivation of marijuana,
" Burger said.

Police were on the scene until about 9 p.m.