Police Seize 372 Marijuana Plants Growing Inside Coventry Home

COVENTRY, RI -- Back in September, a Coventry police officer suspected a a Log Bridge Road residence was being used to grow marijuana.

The Narcotics Division investigated. The evidence led the court to authorize a search warrant, and on Thursday, police went to the home. They found Zheng Zhenfang, 58, and a "large scale marijuana grow" inside.

"Nearly every room in the residence was used to cultivate marijuana," police said. The "detectives located 372 marijuana plants."

During the search, the detectives spoke to Emily Tsang, 36, of Brooklyn, N.Y., and Liqiong Zheng, 45, of Staten Island, N.Y.

Both were in Coventry "attempting to determine what had occurred with Zhenfang," police said. After questioning the two women, police determined they also were connected to the marijuna grow.

They were charged with Controlled Substance Conspiracy.

Today, all three were arraigned at Kent County District Court.

According to Col. John MacDonald, police chief, these operations give medical marijuana a black eye; “it is the proliferation of these kinds of for profit, illegal marijuana grows in neighborhood homes that give the small, legal medical marijuana growers a bad name," he said.

Photo Credit Coventry Police