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It was a nondescript stucco home in a typical middle-class subdivision northwest of Tucson. In its garage - a blue Astro van with a ``Bush/Quayle '92'' bumper sticker. But, authorities allege, appearances can be deceiving. Investigators served a search warrant on the home Wednesday afternoon and seized 545 pounds of marijuana and $109,533 in cash. ``All indications are this was a large-scale stash house,'' said Pima County sheriff's Sgt. Paul Leonardi, who is assigned to the Metropolitan Area Narcotics Trafficking and Interdiction Squad. Investigators also found ledgers that showed thousands of pounds of marijuana could have moved through the home each week, he said. Authorities arrested the homeowner, Sergio Alberto Bayliss-Lopez, 26, of Caborca, Mexico, and two other men - brothers Filiberto Chaidez-Sanchez, 18, and Neker Ivan Chaidez-Sanchez, 21, of Sinaloa, Mexico - on suspicion of unlawful possession of marijuana for sale. Each remained jailed last night in lieu of $5,500 bond. The narcotics investigation was ongoing and started with a tip. Bayliss-Lopez bought the home in October and apparently lived there by himself, although detectives found a baby crib and a package of diapers, Leonardi said. ``It blended in with the neighborhood,'' Leonardi said of the sparsely furnished home. ``They had a Christmas tree and Christmas lights,'' he said, describing the Christmas tree as upscale, with fancy ribbon as garland and crystal balls with gold inlay trim. ``The living quarters were cordoned off so they had an assembly line'' for packaging, weighing and repackaging marijuana, he said. He said he wasn't surprised about finding an apparent stash house in a quiet, middle-class neighborhood. ``We've been in the Foothills - east, west, north. . . . It's all over town,'' he said. Residents who suspect there may be a stash house in their neighborhood should call 88-CRIME or MANTIS at 547-8800. Visit the Pima County Sheriff's office online. http://biz.rtd.com/pcsd/ Copyright Arizona Daily Star In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107 and The Berne Convention on Literary and Artistic Works, Article 10, news clippings are made available without profit for research and educational purposes. |
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