Police find man wanted in Michigan, large marijuana grow house

Police say when they went to serve an arrest warrant for a Gwinnett County man wanted in Michigan on drug charges, they stumbled upon a major grow house.

Snellville police say when Howard Wajchman opened his front door, his home reeked of marijuana.

Officers obtained and executed a search warrant, and Wajchman is now facing more serious charges in Gwinnett County than he is in Michigan.

”Forty-six plants, and each marijuana plant can produce a pound of marijuana, so you’re looking at potentially 46 pounds. It’s a fairly large amount of marijuana, says Lt. Greg Perry with the Snellville Police Department.

Perry says Wajchman had a small arsenal of weapons, and they found 30 silver coins along with gold in a safe.

Channel 2 Action News reporter Craig Lucie spoke with several neighbors who say Wajchman has lived in his Snellville home for eight years and is a quiet guy. One neighbor told Lucie that Wajchman claimed he’s a cancer researcher and planned to open up a medical marijuana shop in Michigan.

Michigan is a state where more than 214,000 people have applied to be a part of its medical marijuana program since voters approved it in 2008. It’s a subject police say Wajchman wouldn’t discuss with them.

”He didn’t talk a whole lot. He stated that he had thought he had taken care of the issue in Michigan, said Lt. Perry.

That issue was a felony drug charge in Michigan, where authorities say he was dealing in marijuana. He has no bond because he is being held for Michigan authorities.