N.J. man, 64, charged with illegally growing dozens of marijuana plants, police say

A Bergen County man was arrested Thursday and charged with growing 62 marijuana plants in an illegal farm operation in Hackensack, authorities said.

Anthony Dias, 64, of Hackensack, was charged with manufacturing, distributing, and dispensing illegal marijuana in an amount greater than 10 plants, a first-degree crime, according to Ray Guidetti, the city’s police director.

Guidetti said detectives were tipped off anonymously that an illegal marijuana farm was in operation in a “quiet residential neighborhood.”

Police said they found “62 mature marijuana plants and other related evidence” used in an illegal grow facility. The police director did not say where in the city the farm was located.

“Detectives conducted a comprehensive investigation to identify the source of the illegal marijuana grow and culminated their investigation with the arrest of Dias,” Guidetti said in a statement.

Dias was held at the Bergen County Jail to await a court hearing, police said.

Anthony G. Attrino may be reached at tattrino@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @TonyAttrino. Find NJ.com on Facebook.