Two North Hollywood men face narcotics and theft charges after investigators discovered a large-scale marijuana grow operation at home in a residential neighborhood of Ventura County, authorities announced Wednesday.
Detectives received tips about the illegal cannabis operation in the 1100 block of Calle Contento in Thousand Oaks in Sept. 2023, according to a news release from the Ventura County Sheriff’s Office.
According to investigators, 34-year-old Vilen Ayvazyan owned the residence and oversaw the illicit business, while his brother, 41-year-old Hovannes Barseghyan managed the day-to-day duties of maintaining the marijuana plants.
Both men were taken into custody on Feb. 14, when authorities executed search warrants at their North Hollywood residences.
“A total of four firearms and numerous items consistent with evidence of identity theft were also found,” the release stated.
At the Calle Contento address, detectives found the home had been “completely converted for the purposes of growing marijuana.”
Except for a refrigerator and a bathroom, the home was a controlled environment for the stages of growing cannabis, including timed lighting, irrigation and fertilization mechanisms. Two additional rooms held harvested plants in the process of drying.
Authorities also discovered the home’s electric meter had been bypassed, creating a significant fire hazard and a utility value loss of about $50,000.
In total, an estimated 160 pounds of marijuana was seized along with evidence linking the brothers to the operation.
The residence has been deemed uninhabitable pending repairs.
Both brothers were booked into the Ventura County Jail, where Ayvazyan, who appeared in court Wednesday, remains in custody. Barseghyan was released and is scheduled to appear in court on April 4.
The investigation into any potential identity theft crimes the brothers may have committed remains ongoing.