MULGA, Alabama - Sheriff's deputies discovered nearly a half million dollars worth of marijuana growing inside a home in a small western Jefferson County community, authorities announced today.

A monthlong investigation led Jefferson County sheriff's narcotics deputies to a home in the 4600 block of Golden Road in Mulga, where they found a complex system of grow lights, ventilation fans and irrigation systems designed to grow marijuana indoors, Chief Deputy Randy Christian said.

Deputies seized 230 marijuana plants with an estimated street value of $460,000. Several guns also were found in the home.

The man who lived there, 55-year-old Richard Lee Wear, is charged with unlawful manufacturing of a controlled substance, unlawful possession of drug paraphernalia, unlawful possession of marijuana and carrying a pistol without a license.

He is being held in the Jefferson County Jail with bond set at $506,600.

"I guess he fancies himself as a farmer. We just see him as another drug dealer," Christian said. "Great work by our guys."