A Plantation man confessed on Friday to growing 195 marijuana plants worth $3,000 to $5,000 apiece in two Pompano Beach homes.

An anonymous tip led investigators to the modest, tree-lined neighborhood in Pompano Beach.

For about a week, investigators staked out a one-story ranch home. They watched quietly as Allen L. Ryant went into and out of the teal house once a day, every day.

Early Friday morning, they made their move, stopping Ryant to question him as he was leaving the neighborhood.

They didn't need a search warrant. Ryant admitted he was growing marijuana in not just one, but two homes in the area. He even invited detectives inside for a look, according to the Broward Sheriff's Office.

Wearing black face masks to protect them from the stench and to hide their identities, the investigators -- some of whom work undercover -- entered the house. They found an indoor garden with green, leafy plants, each about six feet tall, cluttering the floor all over the house.

Square, white, plastic buckets held each plant inside the 1,222-square-foot house, nestled on a corner at 1366 NE 27th St. Fans were secured at the top of the walls, and lights hung down from the ceiling.

''What we found inside is one of the most sophisticated growing operations we've seen in a very long time,'' BSO spokesman Elliot Cohen said.

Ryant, 48, is charged with trafficking marijuana over 25 pounds and possession of marijuana with the intent to distribute or manufacture, according to BSO. He was being held Friday night in the Broward County Main Jail on $76,000 bond.

Investigators said Ryant also grew marijuana inside a 1,445-square-foot, red brick house at 1000 NE 24th St. in Pompano Beach.

While detectives were surprised at the intricate set-ups in both homes, neighbors were shocked.

''No cars ever been here; no people ever been here. It's crazy,'' said Malissa Jazowski, 21, who lives near the 27th Street house. ``I never even thought anybody stays there.''

The 24th Street house had about $50,000 in lighting, irrigation and air-conditioning alone, BSO said. Hood lights over the plants in one room were connected with white string to about 20 pulleys. Ryant could adjust the height of the lights as the plants grew. A timer on a wall turned on lights above certain areas of plants at different times.

BSO said Ryant rigged the wires inside a small, narrow room at the back of the house on 27th Street so he could keep the powerful lights on without registering how much power he was really using. The sophisticated system maximized the active ingredient that causes a high in smokers and makes the pot more valuable.

The plants, 96 in the 27th Street house and 99 at the other one, are valued at between $3,000 and $5,000 apiece, Cohen said. The estimated street value is between $585,000 and $975,000.

As investigators worked the scene at the 24th Street house, the lights were still going on and off. Plants remained in long black holders. A white pipe ran across each holding bin. Narrower black pipes ran water and fertilizer from the main line into each plant.

''This is a completely automatic grow house,'' Cohen said.

Although white hurricane shutters covered the windows at the 27th Street house, the smell of the plants still wafted through one corner of the property.

People living close to both homes, however, said they never noticed anything suspicious.

''It's South Florida, and it's just a crazy place,'' said Alan Drouillard, 58, who lives across the street from the 24th Street house. ``I'm just thankful they got it, got it out of the neighborhood.''