West Valley man arrested in marijuana bust

A West Valley man who tried to grow and sell marijuana from inside his house was arrested by DEA agents and local police Tuesday.

Drug agents served a no-knock search warrant early Tuesday at a house near 3600 South and 6600 West. Inside, they found 78 pot plants — some between 3 to 4 feet tall — two pounds of processed marijuana and eight weapons, said DEA spokesman Michael Root.

"This was a low-level operation," he said.

Richard Wimmer, 58, was arrested for investigation of marijuana cultivation and being a felon in possession of a firearm. Detectives had been investigating Wimmer for two weeks based on a tip from the Salt Lake County Sheriff's Office.

Wimmer was growing marijuana in his basement and the garage, Root said. His criminal history includes prior arrests for drug possession and distribution.

Although people who grow marijuana indoors usually are on their own time schedule, Root said now was the time of year a lot of outdoor marijuana plants were being harvested and the DEA expected to be very busy the next two months.