UPDATE: 3 illegal marijuana grows busted in Pueblo County Tuesday

Pueblo County sheriff’s deputies busted three illegal marijuana grows Tuesday. Deputies have busted 15 illegal grow since last month.

In less than 12 hours, the Pueblo County Sheriff’s Office has confiscated nearly $1 million worth of illegal marijuana in Pueblo West.

The first happened on Dailey Drive in Pueblo West around 1 a.m. Tuesday. Deputies arrested a family, Douglas John Radosti, 47, Stephanie Frances Radosti, 52, and Warren Alexander Radosti, 23.

609 plants were confiscated from that home.

Deputies busted a second marijuana grow on West Mangrum Drive. 120 plants were confiscated at that home. Vanessa Bebeau, 32, was arrested in connection to that grow.

“This composes a lot of more health hazards that what we’re seeing,” Bureau Chief Dave Lucero said about the home on Mangrum.

Deputies said there was mold along with water from the grow being dumped in the toilet that would go in to the public sewer system.

Al Manzanares lives near the illegal pot-growing operation. He said he and his neighbors knew something wasn’t right at the home on Mangrum and that’s when they called law enforcement.

“The blinds have always been down. The windows have never been open. The people in there, we never see them,” he said.

A third illegal grow on the 600 block of Las Verdes Drive was also busted. One hundred plants were seized. Gary Copeland, 60, and Mark Harry, 64, were also arrested. Copeland is Bebeau’s stepfather.

In all, six people were arrested, more than 820 plants were taken away and hundreds of thousands of dollars in grow equipment and supplies were seized.

Lucero said storage is starting to be a concern in regard to putting away the evidence. He also said storage safety is another challenge.

He said the Sheriff’s Office had to modify the storage locations so that they can be vented properly to prevent health hazards for the deputies and staff.

Since March 14, deputies have arrested 22 people and seized nearly 4,600 plants at 15 different homes. Fourteen of them were in Pueblo West.