An unusual wake-up call led to a sizable drug bust in St. Johns County earlier this month, as residents on Swallowtail Lane were startled by a nude man rampaging through their property with a wooden branch, according to a Facebook post from the St. Johns County Sheriff's Office. The suspect, identified as 44-year-old Alejandro Barzaga, allegedly shattered the glass of a rear kitchen door, prompting the homeowners to seek refuge in another room while alerting authorities.
Responding deputies soon apprehended Barzaga and discovered that he lived just a stone's throw away from the scene of the burglary, leading them to his residence where they noticed clothing and a purse scattered outside, along with an open garage door that fueled suspicion and concern for the welfare of any further occupants inside the home, once inside the home the deputies unearthed a large-scale marijuana grow operation complete with an arsenal of drugs, weapons, and cash.
The St. Johns County Sheriff's Office detailed in a Facebook post the items seized from Barzaga's house, which included three firearms, $85,000 in U.S. currency, 22 pounds of psilocybin mushrooms, three pounds of marijuana, 12 mature marijuana plants, 17 grams of ketamine, over five pounds of marijuana edibles, drug ledgers, and various drug paraphernalia consistent with cultivation and sales.
Initially detained for armed burglary to an occupied dwelling and criminal mischief, Barzaga now faces additional charges after narcotics detectives conducted an investigation that led to the execution of a search warrant at his residence. The search uncovered evidence of drug cultivation and distribution activities within the home.
