Pot operation lands 2 behind bars

By JOHN W. GOODWIN JR.

VINDICATOR TRUMBULL STAFF

LIBERTY — Two brothers are behind bars for a marijuana growing and distribution operation that ran directly through the township.

Township police say Larry Trott, 47, of Yvonne Drive received 27 months in prison after appearing in a U.S. District Court on Feb. 27.

His brother Terry Trott, age not available, of Orchard Drive, New Wilmington, Pa., received 10 months in prison after appearing in the court the same day.

According to Capt. Richard Tisone, members of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement received information from Canadian law enforcement officials concerning Larry Trott in 2007.

The information prompted Judge Michael Bernard of Girard Municipal Court to drive to the township police department at 10 p.m. May 1 and sign a search warrant for Trott’s Yvonne Drive residence.

Officers served the warrant an hour after it was signed at 11 p.m. on that day. Members of the ICE also served another warrant at the same time at a home in New Wilmington jointly owned by the Trott brothers.

According to Tisone, officers found $22,000 in cash, nine firearms and items used to break marijuana down for sale at the Yvonne Drive home. He said police found 200 marijuana plants growing at the New Wilmington address.

Tisone said officers believe the brothers used the New Wilmington address, where electric bills were reportedly in the thousands of dollars, to grow the marijuana then transported the plants to the township address where they were broken down for sale.

The guns and money found at the Yvonne Drive home have been forfeited to police. Officers are also requesting the New Wilmington property be forfeited as well. The Yvonne Drive home, valued at more than $70,000, is not in the name of either Trott brother and has not been forfeited, township police said.

Tisone said he is unsure exactly how long the brothers had been growing and distributing marijuana, but said it had likely been for an extended period of time.

“Given the complexity of the operation and what we saw, he [Larry] was no novice. He had obviously been doing this for some time,” Tisone said. “They were growing 200 plants and that is a pretty sizable amount when you figure it out at $1,000 a plant.”

Tisone said police held back information about the arrest of the two brothers in an attempt to obtain more information about others involved in the illegal drug operation, but ultimately determined the operation did not go much beyond the Trott brothers.

“We were trying to work these guys, and what we found out is that they were the top guys. They were the growers and into the distribution,” he said.

jgoodwin@vindy.com