Two Hammond residents face federal charges after police found almost 300 pounds of marijuana in a hidden room in their house, according to a probable cause affidavit.
Ramiro Dellano and Melissa Hernandez were both arrested Thursday and are being held without bond pending a detention and probable cause hearing set for Thursday, according to records with the U.S. District Court in Hammond.
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According to the affidavit, police pulled over Dellano around noon on Wednesday on Columbia Avenue in Hammond when they discovered the license plate on his Jeep Cherokee was registered to another vehicle.
Police discovered a marijuana cigarette in his vehicle along with several pieces of electronic equipment, according to the affidavit. Dellano claimed they were for his job with a cable company and to prove it to them, he offered to take them back to his house in the 4800 block of Columbia Avenue, where he lives with his girlfriend Hernandez, to show them his uniform.
Police obtained a search warrant for the house after smelling marijuana smoke and found a hidden room in the basement next to the bedroom shared by Dellano and Hernandez that they had to remove a wall to get to. They found 293 pounds of pot in the hidden room, according to the affidavit, and various equipment used to package pot.
They also found 244 grams of suspected cocaine and $6,600 in cash in another section of the basement. The affidavit also said that Dellano has been identified as a member of the Latin Kings street gang.
Attorneys for the two could not be reached for comment.
Contact Teresa Auch Schultz at [email protected].