Glendale - Arizona Attorney General Mark Brnovich is announcing that The Arizona State Grand Jury handed down an indictment of James Goulding, 29, last week for two counts of Production of Marijuana, two counts of Possession of Marijuana for Sale, two counts of Misconduct Involving Weapons and Illegally Conducting an Enterprise. The charges are based on an investigation conducted by The Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office (MCSO) High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) Taskforce.
On January 14, 2015, detectives from the MCSO HIDTA Taskforce investigated a tip made over the Sheriff's Drug Tip Hotline: (602) 262-DRUG. That tip led the police to a house at 13139 West Sierra Vista Drive in Glendale. Police arrested James Goulding as he was leaving the house. Inside, police found a sophisticated grow operation with 423 high-grade marijuana plants. The marijuana seized weighed over 45 pounds and has a street value of more than $300,000.
Police also searched James Goulding’s home located at 5801 North 61st Lane in Glendale where they found more than five pounds of packaged high grade marijuana, an additional 96 plants, a 12-guage shotgun, and drug sale ledgers.
James Goulding, previously convicted of a marijuana cultivation offense in Maricopa County in 2012, was on probation at the time of this offense.
This case was investigated by The Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office HIDTA Taskforce and is being handled by Arizona Assistant Attorney General Nick Saccone.
For more information and to set up interviews contact the Attorney General's Office at (602) 542-5025.