OFFICERS FIND ALLIGATOR GUARDING 34 POUNDS OF MARIJUANA DURING ROUTINE PROBATION CHECK

Shock: Alameda County deputies performing a routine probation check found this alligator, Mr Teeth, in a Plexiglas tank in a California man's bedroom guarding 34 pounds of pot

Officers performing a routine probation check on a northern California man yesterday were shocked to find that he had some 34 pounds of marijuana in his rented house.
But they were more startled to discover the animal guarding it – a five-foot alligator named Mr Teeth.
The Alameda County Sheriff’s deputies arrested Assif Mayar, 32, and took his illegal pet to the Oakland Zoo.

Rental: Assif Mayar, 32, lives in this two-story rental house in Castro Valley, California, where he lives with his wife and two small children

According to KTVU, deputies stopped by Mayar’s two-story rental home in Castro Valley on Wednesday afternoon to perform a probation compliance check.
Alameda County Sgt. J.D. Nelson said yesterday in a news conference that while inspecting the house, officers discovered 34 pounds of dried, processed marijuana in Mayar’s bedroom.
Next to the pot was a Plexiglas tank containing the alligator. Sgt Nelson said that the massive reptile was likely used as a deterrent for would-be marijuana thieves.
The sheriff’s department called in backup from the Fish and Game department, NBC Bay Area reported.
The sergeant said that stumbling upon an alligator was highly unusual. ‘We come across guard dogs like pit bulls quite frequently, but a guard alligator is very unusual,’ he said.
KTVU notes that the married father-of-two has several dogs, including a pit bull, in his rental house.
Mayar purchased Mr Teeth in 1996 to ‘commemorate the death of rapper Tupac Shakur,’ Sgt Nelson said.

Care: Mr Teeth was taken to the veterinary clinic at the Oakland Zoo for treatment because he was ill

Authorities noted that Mr Teeth, who looked quite sickly, was taken to the Oakland Zoo for treatment. 

Nicky Mora, the zoo’s spokesperson, told SFGate.com that Mr Teeth is being treated at the zoo’s veterinary hospital and is currently being quarantined. 

Once his 30-day quarantine is over, Mr Teeth will be relocated to a yet-to-be-decided location, the spokesperson said.

Mayar, meanwhile, was arrested and charged with drug possession charges, and is currently being held at the Santa Rita jail on $160,000 bail.

Castro Valley is located across the San Francisco Bay. There were around 61,400 residents in the area as of the 2010 census.