Captiva man arrested in alleged houseboat grow operation berthed at Sanibel residential dock

It was an aroma that put the kibosh on Erik James Brown's alleged houseboat marijuana grow operation on Sanibel Island.

The first smell, from leaking diesel fuel, attracted Sanibel police to the $1.9 million home at 1206 Bay Drive and a houseboat tied up to a dock there.

Then the second smell kicked in: Marijuana.

Both added up to the discovery of 25 marijuana plants, marijuana buds in containers, pills, paraphernalia used to smoke marijuana and the arrest of Brown, 34, of Captiva.

More: Hall-of-fame sailor's boat recovered off Sanibel; says closely spaced waves helped capsize

More: Cape Coral police: Man who crashed car in vacant lot had gun, drugs in car

More: Florida medical marijuana companies doing big business in home deliveries

Brown remains in Lee County Jail on no bond and faces 23 charges, including 15 drug possession charges and two charges each of marijuana and drug trafficking, one charge of marijuana possession and a number of other charges. He has an arraignment scheduled April 23.

A Sanibel Police Department report said the smell of diesel fumes is what brought an officer to the address Sunday and then a strong smell of fresh marijuana and marijuana in plain view prompted a full investigation and a call to the U.S. Coast Guard.

Coast Guard officers who boarded the houseboat found 25 marijuana plants.

Further searching later also uncovered 15 Xanax pills in a Viagra bottle, five to six clear tubes filled with marijuana buds, and smoking paraphernalia.

Jurgen Ebenhoeh, a neighbor two doors down from the address, said he has seen the boat at the dock for the past three years.

"I see it going out and then coming back," he said. "Sometimes at 6 a.m. There's always something with that boat."

The smell of the diesel fumes was very strong, Ebenhoeh said.

"I was going out to the dock," he said. "I saw oil in the water."

He added that he did not smell the marijuana: "I don't know anything about that."

Brown has an extensive arrest record dating to 2003 including charges for cocaine and marijuana possession, multiple driving under the influence, weapons possession, battery, carjacking, vehicle theft, hit-and-run and multiple traffic offenses.

Connect with this reporter: MichaelBraunNP (Facebook) @MichaelBraunNP (Twitter)