Miami-Dade detectives visiting a suspected Coral Way marijuana grow house for a knock-and-talk were met with gunfire; Gerardo Delgado was shot dead, Detective John Saavedra was hit three times, and 80 pounds of marijuana were found inside.
🇺🇸 Near Coral Way and Southwest 60th Court, Miami-Dade County · Florida, United States
Plainclothes Miami-Dade detectives went to a house near Coral Way and Southwest 60th Court on 31 July 2012 for a knock-and-talk, hoping to get consent to search a suspected marijuana grow house.[1][2]As they questioned 60-year-old Luis Estevanell, his cohort Gerardo Delgado emerged from a parked BMW and opened fire from behind a tree in the circular driveway.[1][2]
Detective John Saavedra took three bullets to the gut before officers returned fire and struck Delgado several times, killing him; the gunfight was captured by the grow house’s own surveillance cameras and played at a court hearing.[1][2]Investigators later found 80 pounds (about 36.3 kg) of marijuana inside the house.[1]
Estevanell, described as a key operator in the business, was charged with possession of cocaine, trafficking in marijuana and second-degree felony murder, since under Florida law a death in the course of a felony can bring a murder charge.[1][2]
Case data
Every number and detail the sources state, with the sources that state it.
Arrested
1
Cannabis
36.29 kg
Deaths
1
Agency
Miami-Dade Police Department
Agency type
Police
Cannabis
Herbal cannabis (36.29 kg)
Activity
Cultivation
Setting
Home
Charges
trafficking in marijuana; possession of cocaine; second-degree felony murder
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