Hudson County sheriff’s officers stumbled across a “drug factory”seizing 47 marijuana plants.

Jersey Journal - Friday, March 23, 2007

Serving warrants, officers shut down basement drug lab
Hudson County sheriff’s officers stumbled across a “drug factory” while carrying out warrants at a Garfield Avenue home Thursday morning, seizing 47 marijuana plants and equipment used to grow them.

Edward Kates, 38, was discovered in his basement by sheriff’s officers. Though Kates was not the target of the operation, he was arrested when officers discovered large quantities of marijuana, incubators, heating lamps, power fans, liquid nutrients, enzyme concentrate and other growing materials.

“He had just about everything you need for cultivating and growing marijuana plants,” said Hudson County Sheriff Joseph Cassidy. “We’re not sure whether Kates was the brains behind the operation, but he was in the apartment at the time.”

No one else was arrested during the raid. Police would not say who the warrants were for or their nature.