R
Robrites
Authorities estimate 500 homes throughout Colorado Springs and El Paso County have quickly and quietly been converted into illegal marijuana grow operations. They're popping up all over Colorado. I reported on this problem last Thursday on 11News at 10 p.m.
Ever since the legalization of recreational pot, some crooks have been coming to our state, growing massive amounts of marijuana and then selling the product for double or triple the price elsewhere.
I was told that most of those who have been arrested in illegal grow houses are from the East Coast. The growers are coming from New York, New Jersey, North Carolina, South Carolina and Florida.
They don't disclose to property managers or landlords their true motives. In fact, some will offer to pay more for rent or even pay for a whole year upfront.
That wasn't the case with Jon Didleaux, but he learned firsthand how quickly an illegal grow operation can damage a property. He purchased an 1,800-square-foot home in the Village Seven area and spent months fixing it up. Jon told me his property manager ran a tenant background check and everything seemed above board. Four months later, he got the sickening news.
As he explained, "You put in a lot of money fixing it up and making it real nice for the tenants and then the next thing you know, it's been vandalized."
Fifty-six pounds of marijuana was discovered in Jon's rental home when Colorado Springs police arrested 34-year-old Alfredo Alvarez, who pleaded guilty to possession with intent to distribute. Officers tell me they went to the home because they learned a wanted fugitive was living there. Authorities had been looking for 34-year-old Yubisnel Rodriguez-Montoya. When they burst into Jon's rental house, they not only found the fugitive, but all the pot.
The worst part was the condition of Jon's home. Officers tell me it was the most dangerous marijuana grow house they had encountered. Not only was there mold, but the structural integrity of the home had been compromised. Part of the staircase had been cut out, so if firefighters needed to get inside, they might have fallen through to the basement. The tenant had tapped into the plumbing to set up an irrigation system, added an air conditioner and installed a separate furnace. Police say he also dug a trench and tapped the electric wire before it reached the meter, stealing an estimated $8,000 in electricity from Colorado Springs Utilities.
Talk about dangerous - authorities say these grow houses use massive amounts of power and have blown transformers all over the state. While there are other causes for overloading a transformer, Utilities tells me the number of transformer and service loads quadrupled from 2014 to 2015.
Jon's insurance company covered the damage, which was close to $20,000. He didn't suffer financially, but other property owners have. That's why many are changing their leases to reflect the change in Colorado law. Victoria Baker with Dancing Star Property Management says she makes her position clear from the first inquiry. She says, "On my applications I have big, bold letters over the top, you are not allowed to use marijuana, recreational or medicinal, and you cannot grow."
http://gazette.com/voice-of-the-con...-illegal-marijuana-grow-house/article/1575676
Ever since the legalization of recreational pot, some crooks have been coming to our state, growing massive amounts of marijuana and then selling the product for double or triple the price elsewhere.
I was told that most of those who have been arrested in illegal grow houses are from the East Coast. The growers are coming from New York, New Jersey, North Carolina, South Carolina and Florida.
They don't disclose to property managers or landlords their true motives. In fact, some will offer to pay more for rent or even pay for a whole year upfront.
That wasn't the case with Jon Didleaux, but he learned firsthand how quickly an illegal grow operation can damage a property. He purchased an 1,800-square-foot home in the Village Seven area and spent months fixing it up. Jon told me his property manager ran a tenant background check and everything seemed above board. Four months later, he got the sickening news.
As he explained, "You put in a lot of money fixing it up and making it real nice for the tenants and then the next thing you know, it's been vandalized."
Fifty-six pounds of marijuana was discovered in Jon's rental home when Colorado Springs police arrested 34-year-old Alfredo Alvarez, who pleaded guilty to possession with intent to distribute. Officers tell me they went to the home because they learned a wanted fugitive was living there. Authorities had been looking for 34-year-old Yubisnel Rodriguez-Montoya. When they burst into Jon's rental house, they not only found the fugitive, but all the pot.
The worst part was the condition of Jon's home. Officers tell me it was the most dangerous marijuana grow house they had encountered. Not only was there mold, but the structural integrity of the home had been compromised. Part of the staircase had been cut out, so if firefighters needed to get inside, they might have fallen through to the basement. The tenant had tapped into the plumbing to set up an irrigation system, added an air conditioner and installed a separate furnace. Police say he also dug a trench and tapped the electric wire before it reached the meter, stealing an estimated $8,000 in electricity from Colorado Springs Utilities.
Talk about dangerous - authorities say these grow houses use massive amounts of power and have blown transformers all over the state. While there are other causes for overloading a transformer, Utilities tells me the number of transformer and service loads quadrupled from 2014 to 2015.
Jon's insurance company covered the damage, which was close to $20,000. He didn't suffer financially, but other property owners have. That's why many are changing their leases to reflect the change in Colorado law. Victoria Baker with Dancing Star Property Management says she makes her position clear from the first inquiry. She says, "On my applications I have big, bold letters over the top, you are not allowed to use marijuana, recreational or medicinal, and you cannot grow."
http://gazette.com/voice-of-the-con...-illegal-marijuana-grow-house/article/1575676
