FruityBud
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HARLAN With a small statue of the Virgin Mary in a window and an American flag flying in front, the Antwerp Road home police raided Thursday looked like an average family home.
But what police found inside the home was anything but average.
Inside the house at 22633 Antwerp Road, just east of Harlan, Allen County police found about 6,700 pounds of marijuana.
Wrapped in large plastic bricks, the marijuana filled the homes basement, lining the walls and sharing spaces with exercise equipment and a collection of Star Wars figurines.
DVDs from The Sopranos lay on the floor near the area where the marijuana was found, and a Scarface poster was the only art on the wall in a small room in the basement.
When Allen County police stopped Matthew McChesney, 29, for speeding Wednesday night near Reed Road and State Boulevard, they found 12 pounds of marijuana in a gym bag in his car, along with about $100,000 in cash, police said.
Police had already spent more than six months investigating McChesney, Allen County Sheriffs Department spokesman Steve Stone said.
But it was what they found when they served a warrant at McChesneys rented home early Thursday that shocked them.
They knew that he was a big player and expected that there would be dope in the house, but I dont think anyone would ever expect to find that much, Stone said.
Allen County narcotics detectives had dealt with McChesney in the past, Stone said.
Police were calling the raid the biggest drug bust the sheriffs department has ever had, Stone said, adding that some members of the departments narcotics division have been with the department for 30 years.
It was the biggest drug bust that anyone remembers for the sheriffs department, he said.
The police werent the only people surprised at what they found in McChesneys home.
Kent Delagrange said McChesney moved in next door to him about two years ago.
Until Thursday, when police, media and curious passers-by lined the street in front of McChesneys house, Delagrange said hed never seen so many cars in the area.
It was so quiet down there, Delagrange said.
In Harlan, where traffic signs warn drivers of the possibility of buggies on the road almost as often as the speed limit, neighbors generally watch out for one another, Delagrange said.
Not so with McChesney.
He was not a friendly person, Delagrange said.
Delagrange said he always wondered about the man who frequently switched vehicles always driving expensive models and seemed to have more than enough money.
Im like, what does this guy do? he said, adding that he thought McChesney might have worked with computers.
McChesney, Stone said, told police he was self-employed.
Inside the house, which has a screened-in pavilion overlooking a private pond in the back, several bedrooms and at least two bathrooms, police seized an AK-47, workout equipment, electronics and anything else of value and loaded it all with the marijuana into a rented moving truck.
Sheriff Ken Fries said McChesney will have to prove later that the items werent bought with drug money to get them back.
The drugs police found in McChesneys home, Fries said, could easily have a street value of more than $6 million.
A company was called in to remove four heavy-duty safes, each weighing about 1,500 pounds, from the garage. Two of the safes were empty, one contained marijuana and police were not releasing information about what was being kept in the fourth safe, Stone said.
Police also served search warrants at three other homes, all in Fort Wayne, that McChesney either owned or had some connection to, Stone said. Officers did not find a significant amount of drugs at the three Fort Wayne homes.
McChesney was taken to the Allen County Lockup on preliminary charges of dealing marijuana and possession of marijuana and was being held without bail. Because of the amount of marijuana found, police expect federal charges to be filed against McChesney.
Police also said they expect to be making more arrests in connection with the marijuana found in McChesneys home.
hxxp://tinyurl.com/3c47gd
But what police found inside the home was anything but average.
Inside the house at 22633 Antwerp Road, just east of Harlan, Allen County police found about 6,700 pounds of marijuana.
Wrapped in large plastic bricks, the marijuana filled the homes basement, lining the walls and sharing spaces with exercise equipment and a collection of Star Wars figurines.
DVDs from The Sopranos lay on the floor near the area where the marijuana was found, and a Scarface poster was the only art on the wall in a small room in the basement.
When Allen County police stopped Matthew McChesney, 29, for speeding Wednesday night near Reed Road and State Boulevard, they found 12 pounds of marijuana in a gym bag in his car, along with about $100,000 in cash, police said.
Police had already spent more than six months investigating McChesney, Allen County Sheriffs Department spokesman Steve Stone said.
But it was what they found when they served a warrant at McChesneys rented home early Thursday that shocked them.
They knew that he was a big player and expected that there would be dope in the house, but I dont think anyone would ever expect to find that much, Stone said.
Allen County narcotics detectives had dealt with McChesney in the past, Stone said.
Police were calling the raid the biggest drug bust the sheriffs department has ever had, Stone said, adding that some members of the departments narcotics division have been with the department for 30 years.
It was the biggest drug bust that anyone remembers for the sheriffs department, he said.
The police werent the only people surprised at what they found in McChesneys home.
Kent Delagrange said McChesney moved in next door to him about two years ago.
Until Thursday, when police, media and curious passers-by lined the street in front of McChesneys house, Delagrange said hed never seen so many cars in the area.
It was so quiet down there, Delagrange said.
In Harlan, where traffic signs warn drivers of the possibility of buggies on the road almost as often as the speed limit, neighbors generally watch out for one another, Delagrange said.
Not so with McChesney.
He was not a friendly person, Delagrange said.
Delagrange said he always wondered about the man who frequently switched vehicles always driving expensive models and seemed to have more than enough money.
Im like, what does this guy do? he said, adding that he thought McChesney might have worked with computers.
McChesney, Stone said, told police he was self-employed.
Inside the house, which has a screened-in pavilion overlooking a private pond in the back, several bedrooms and at least two bathrooms, police seized an AK-47, workout equipment, electronics and anything else of value and loaded it all with the marijuana into a rented moving truck.
Sheriff Ken Fries said McChesney will have to prove later that the items werent bought with drug money to get them back.
The drugs police found in McChesneys home, Fries said, could easily have a street value of more than $6 million.
A company was called in to remove four heavy-duty safes, each weighing about 1,500 pounds, from the garage. Two of the safes were empty, one contained marijuana and police were not releasing information about what was being kept in the fourth safe, Stone said.
Police also served search warrants at three other homes, all in Fort Wayne, that McChesney either owned or had some connection to, Stone said. Officers did not find a significant amount of drugs at the three Fort Wayne homes.
McChesney was taken to the Allen County Lockup on preliminary charges of dealing marijuana and possession of marijuana and was being held without bail. Because of the amount of marijuana found, police expect federal charges to be filed against McChesney.
Police also said they expect to be making more arrests in connection with the marijuana found in McChesneys home.
hxxp://tinyurl.com/3c47gd
