Fake furniture shop in Gilroy housed $2 million in weed, police say
None of the duvets or armoires were for sale, but sheriff’s investigators said they found $2 million worth of marijuana inside a Santa Clara County furniture store last week.
Sheriff’s detectives seized 1,000 marijuana plants and 50 pounds of processed weed from the Monterey Road store in Gilroy on Jan. 22, and investigators don’t believe the store was ever actually open for business, according to a statement issued by the Santa Clara County Sheriff’s Office.
Phuc Nguyen, 39, of Gilroy was arrested inside the store and charged with cultivating marijuana for sale and stealing utilities. Police allege Nguyen also found a way to bypass the building’s electrical meter and stole $80,000 worth of power from PG&E.
It was not clear if Nguyen owned the property or how long the building had been used as an alleged front for the marijuana stash. Calls to a sheriff’s office spokesman were not immediately returned.
Pictures released by the sheriff’s office show a storefront lined with sofas, coffee tables and flower pots, but police said none of the items were actually for sale.
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