Four area individuals were arrested Wednesday on various drug charges, including a marijuana cultivation operation.
Kosciusko County Drug Task Force officers, along with the Warsaw Police Department K-9 unit, executed a search warrant at 3699 CR 175E, Lot 88, Warsaw in Suburban Acres at approximately 2:30 p.m.
Officers located a large indoor marijuana grow room built inside the mobile home. The room contained various types of growing equipment along with 51 marijuana plants.
The Indiana State Police Marijuana Eradication Team was contacted to dismantle and remove the grow operation.
Officers arrested Jose P. Patino Jr., 28, of 3762 Old 30, Warsaw, and preliminarily charged him with felony cultivating marijuana. Patino was booked into the Kosciusko County Jail on a bond of $2,000.
Patino told police he lived in the Suburban Acres residence but gave a different address for his booking information.
Also arrested at the scene was Goble Shepherd Jr., 37, of 701 N. Park Ave., Warsaw. He was preliminarily charged with possession of marijuana and booked into the Kosciusko County Jail on a bond of $450.
The other arrests came in an unrelated incident later Wednesday night.
At approximately 10 p.m., Kosciusko County Drug Task Force officers purchased narcotic drugs from two individuals during an undercover operation.
Arrested were Ryan Michael Kauffman, 29, of 1122 Honeybee Court, Warsaw, and Leonard Charles Greer, 23, of 1202 Wooster Road, Winona Lake.
Kauffman was preliminarily charged with felony dealing and possession of methamphetamine and dealing in a schedule IV controlled substance (Clonazepam). Greer was preliminarily charged with felony possession of methamphetamine. Both men have been booked into the Kosciusko County Jail, and bonds are being reviewed by Kosciusko County Prosecutor's Office.
The Kosciusko County Drug Task Force consists of officers from Warsaw, Syracuse and Kosciusko County Sheriff's Department who work as a multi-agency unit.
