Tempe Police arrested James Earl Chaney of the Top Shelf Hydro College, in Phoenix, on Tuesday. The "compassion club" was served warrants after near by business and residents made complaints. (Photo courtesy of Tempe Police)James Earl Chaney, the owner of Top Shelf Hydro College on the 1700 block of East Curry Road, was arrested under service of a warrant conducted simultaneously with an investigation into his business, according to a Tempe Police press release.
Police seized large amounts of cash, three vehicles and eight guns — including two assault rifles, one shotgun and three handguns.
Tempe Police served the warrants Tuesday morning after receiving several complaints from residents and businesses in the area, according to the release.
Detectives found a large-scale marijuana grow operation and vast quantities of individually wrapped amounts of marijuana, according to the release.
During an investigation beginning in October, two Tempe houses were identified as “grow houses," where the supply of marijuana for Top Shelf Hydro College was grown and cultivated, according to the release.
Undercover detectives purchased quantities of marijuana from Top Shelf Hydro College, which is a violation of new medical marijuana laws, according to the release.
Tempe SWAT Teams served simultaneous search warrants on the two grow houses, finding more than 120 marijuana plants, according to the release.
Tempe Police reported that narcotic detectives have been working closely with the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office on the investigation and that more arrests may be made at a later time.
Reach the reporter at rrocklif@asu.edu or on Twitter @RRockliffe
