Hundreds of marijuana plants seized from Pueblo County property

The Pueblo County Sheriff’s Office says 600 marijuana plants and tens of thousands of dollars worth of marijuana products were seized from a property in Avondale.

The owner of the property, Mario Gonsalves, 45, was arrested.

The property is located in the 38000 block of Bush Rd.

Deputies say that Gonsalves told them that he was growing medical marijuana for himself, but admitted that he had more than the 75 plants that he was supposed to have.

When questioned further, deputies say the Gonsalves said he was growing marijuana for a friend out of state. The deputies checked and say the friend’s medical marijuana card still didn’t account for the amount of marijuana found on the property.

The sheriff’s office says Gonsalves then said that he moved to Colorado from Connecticut in 2014 to start a marijuana grow business, but he was unable to provide the necessary documentation to prove that he was a licensed marijuana caregiver.

The sheriff’s office says that 75 to 100 pounds of dried marijuana material was seized and that several pounds of marijuana appeared to be packaged for distribution.

The estimated value of the dried marijuana is $25,000 with another $150,000 worth of plants found on the property.

Gonsalves faces charges of possession with intent to manufacture and marijuana cultivation. His bond was set at $5,000.