Five Quick & Easy Steps to Getting Busted

[roorer]

1.The only thing that was out of place in the modest condominium complex near Southern Methodist University was their massive, pimped-out pickups, which dwarfed the other residents' aging fleet of compact cars.

2.The two men began moving lumber and other construction materials into their apartment – but no furniture.

3.And they never really lived there. Sometimes they would show up late at night or before dawn, stay for an hour or two, and then leave

4.When the men were there, they wouldn't answer the door.

5.And one day, a strange stain appeared on my ceiling, directly below their unit.

Pot farm found after neighbors report odor, other oddities

DallasNews.com reporter Kimberly Durnan and several other residents of an SMU-area condominium complex recently were surprised to discover that a marijuana farm was in their midst. This is her account:


When the new neighbors moved in, no one paid much attention.

They were two very polite, clean-cut young men. The only thing that was out of place in the modest condominium complex near Southern Methodist University was their massive, pimped-out pickups, which dwarfed the other residents' aging fleet of compact cars.

But then it became apparent that they weren't going to be joining the complex's sociable clique of pet-owning, workaday folks who often hang out in the courtyard and chat while watching their dogs sniff one another.

The two men began moving lumber and other construction materials into their apartment – but no furniture. That started folks talking.

And they never really lived there. Sometimes they would show up late at night or before dawn, stay for an hour or two, and then leave.

When strange smells started wafting through the complex, I thought the source might be my new puppy, so I started giving him baths twice a week.

Other residents thought a skunk had sprayed the crawl space.

Another theory was that the complex was being overrun by mold.

Residents of units adjoining the mystery condo began hearing a strange humming sound – loud and constant – that originated there. The television was never on, if there was one.

When the men were there, they wouldn't answer the door. Despite sweltering temperatures, they never parked their shiny, expensive trucks in our shaded lot. Instead, they left the vehicles close to the exit.

And one day, a strange stain appeared on my ceiling, directly below their unit.

Finally, a couple of the longtime residents concluded that a drug operation might explain the noises and smells. The idea frightened us all. The complex had a fire about three years ago that killed two people and displaced more than a dozen residents. Some of us worried that the unit had become a methamphetamine lab and that it was only a matter of time before the volatile chemicals used to produce the drug would explode.

I wondered whether I could survive such an explosion, since my bedroom was below what appeared to be the epicenter of the humming and the strange smells. I moved into my guest bedroom, thinking that would be my best chance of avoiding a fiery death.

Once police were contacted, we began to calm down. Hector Roa, who is part of a special Dallas Police Department unit that focuses on crime hot spots, was the first officer to show up, heavily armed and dressed in military-style clothing. He appeared to have the muscles, the weapons and the smarts to deal with most anything, so we felt safer.

Officer Roa thoroughly inspected the area around the men's unit, crawling through the attic and checking out the strange noise and smell from my apartment. He called for more members of his Operation Disruption unit, and they canvassed the complex, looking for more clues that would support obtaining a search warrant. After a few hours, they asked for undercover narcotics agents, whom my neighbors initially mistook for new residents.

Several neighbors and their dogs gathered to meet the officers and see what was going on. The police were bombarded by questions: What did they think was going on in the unit? What was it like to be a police officer? Did they like their jobs? Did they like dogs?

The first officers on the scene weren't sure what the strange odor was. But the narcotics officers knew immediately when they got a whiff of the scent. It was marijuana.

Sgt. Barbara Hobbs asked all the neighbors to line up and take turns sniffing the windows so we would know what a marijuana farm smelled like. We were riveted. It was different from the odor of a burning marijuana cigarette and smelled more like a skunk's scent mixed with room deodorizer.

The officers had to stay for several hours while they waited for a judge to sign the search warrant. My neighbors made sure they had plenty of bottled water and mosquito spray.

One of the officers called the unit's owner and told her to unlock the door or they would kick it down. The officers reported that they were told she didn't know who had rented her property because she had no lease, no names and no phone numbers.

Sgt. Hobbs suggested we change our homeowner association bylaws to make it mandatory for owners who lease their units to provide a photo ID of the tenants.

The keys provided by the owner didn't work on the lock, so the officers kicked down the door.

Inside, Sgt. Hobbs said, they found a small jungle: 101 marijuana plants in four stages of growth, with the most mature plants nearly ready for harvesting. Plants were growing in both bedrooms, both bathrooms and the hall closet.

Elaborate grow lights that used bulbs worth about $1,000 each were attached to chains and hung from the ceiling.

A water pump set on an automatic timer kept the plants well hydrated. That explained the humming noise and the large stain on my ceiling.

Windows were covered with foil, and sheets of Fiberglas were nailed to window frames.

There was no furniture, nothing in the cupboards and nothing in the refrigerator.

The two men were also nowhere to be found, and police have yet to make an arrest in the case.

Officers uprooted the plants and placed them in trash bags, leaving behind a messy trail of dirt and pots. They filled two vans with plants and equipment.

It was 3 a.m. by the time they were finished. Resident Marilyn Gletzer starts work very early at UPS, but she stayed for the entire show. And she even got a tour of the mystery apartment.

"I was dumbfounded seeing all those marijuana plants," Ms. Gletzer said. "It was fascinating."

One day after the police visit, neighbors were once again out with their dogs. Much of the conversation focused on the marijuana farm – and who might be the next to move into the unit.

The next tenant should expect a lot more attention. And he or she may wonder why neighbors sniff at the windows and door when they walk by.

http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcon...stories/073106dnmetmarijuanafarm.18c489a.html

 

[Neuronaut]

What bulb cost even close to $1000?

 

[sproutco]

It was the pimped out pickups that got them busted. lol.

 

[SpacedCWBY]

Smart guys. Finding an apartment complex that didn't require ID. Perfect situation there. Visiting the op must have been a bit nerve racking though.

As for the $1000 lights as asked above, what a joke. Add a little more propaganda. Oh wait, they did... They showed up acting and looking like WW3 was going to break out because some folks were getting high.

If they would only stop and consider how much money pot pumps into the global economy.

 

[I.M. Boggled]

Other residents thought a skunk had sprayed the crawl space.

LOL
I've driven through a few neighbourhoods over the years where you'd think there were a few dead skunks smack dab nab in the middle of road or sumpthin...
I hadn't seen any 4 legged white striped odiferous critters around there before and no apparent professional pet skunk breeders lived around them parts either...or so I thought...
hmmm....now I get it, -[ ,
Apparently they had a few "one legged pet skunk" breeders around them parts after all (skunk #1).
he he

A (few) rookie/cherry design flaw decision(s):
odor control???
we don't need no stinking odor control...not a problem...
...Foiled windows...very obvious custom remodeling

There are many more shining qualities in the mind of man,
but there is none so useful as discretion.
- Joseph Addison

IMB

 

[I.M. Boggled]

Spotting a grow house...

Spotting a grow house...

Source: ELECTRICITY DISTRIBUTORS ASSOCIATION

WHAT TO LOOK FOR:

* Evidence of tampering with the electric meter (damaged or broken seals) or the ground around it.

* Homes made to look lived in by things like light timers, but very few people are seen coming in and out of the home.

* Late night or very short visits by people.

* Strange smells and/ or overpowering coverup smells of say fabric softener.

* Water lines and/or electrical cords running to the basement or outbuilding.

* Unusual noises such as hammering or drilling into the basement foundation.

* People bringing unusual items into the house, such as bags of soil, huge bags of perlite...etc.

* Excess potting soil or other grow mediums around the residence or in the immediate area.

* People continually bringing items and taking items away in garbage bags.

* Windows that are always covered.

* Residence or outbuilding has unusual amount of roof vents or exhaust fan noises.

* Outbuildings have air conditioners.

* Unusual amounts of steam coming from vents in the house in cold weather.

* A house rooftop with no snow on it when the roofs of surrounding houses are snow covered.

* High condensation around windows.

* Little or no garbage being put out.

* Individuals arriving at the house to put out the garbage, shovel the snow or cut the lawn and then leaving immediately.

* People entering and exiting the residence only through the garage keeping the garage door closed.

* People seen coming and going from the house only every week so.

* New neighbours never taking furniture or groceries into the house.

* House or utilities obtained under assumed names with payment made in cash.

* Purchase of expensive lamps for unexplained reasons.

* Unexplained and unseasonably high utility bills.

* Property with excessive security (e.g. guard dogs, "keep out" signs, high fences, heavy chains and locks on gates).

* The building of a large green house or tin barn on property where these structures would not be normally utilized.

* Unusual amount of vehicular traffic (especially at night) carrying unknown individuals on and off the property with entrance gates always being locked after entry.

* Large purchases by individuals of fertilizer, garden hose, plastic PVC pipe, chicken wire, long pieces of 2 X 2 lumber, different sizes of pots (utilized for different stages of growing plants).

*Machetes, camouflage netting, camouflage clothing, various sizes of step ladders (up to 18 to 20 feet) usually painted with green and brown paint, green plastic garden tie materials, cans of green spray paint, large trash bags, lanterns, portable heaters (such as large kerosene/propane heaters), extension cords and fans.

If you observe a number of these indicators and suspect there is an indoor marijuana grow operation in your neighbourhood, please discretely contact them and tell them their blowin the gig.

(actually your suppose to do the "right thing" and be a good unquestioning goverment fearing "comrade" and turn them "pot growin' scums of the earth dirty bastards" in to the wolves/big brother...
do your patriotic part to help win "this war on people"/ "drugs"
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

"Same ol' shit...different day (year)"
MARIJUANA PROHIBITION FACTS (2005)
http://www.icmag.com/ic/showthread.php?t=18164

Anti-Drugwar Strategy Overview: Altering The Dialogue
http://www.icmag.com/ic/showthread.php?t=17134

 

[allorganic]

There are sulphur plasma bulbs that last 7 years and put out the equivilent of 2500w of light that cost about $3000 each but they are not very common yet.
I think it's more likely that the police just lied, like they do about everything else.

 

[Laxpunker]

A little info on Sulphur Plasma's.

"It's such a powerful source, you couldn't really use it in an eight-foot high ceiling. It certainly will not be in your kitchen until we can make a lower power version. So for the next few years you'll find this being used in factories, perhaps sports arenas, aircraft hangers, shopping malls where the ceilings are high. It also needs applications where people don't want the heat. Hockey rinks, for example. Plant growth. This one of the few light sources where you can light plants to solar level, without cooking the plants."

All I can say is...I wanna know more.

 

[big-ugly-oger]

sulphur plasma bulbs.

from now on my cornerstone fantasy involves jennifer anniston trying to sell me a sulphur plasma bulb for 10 quid. i take it and run before she changes her mind.

 

[Guest]

101 marijuana plants worth a total of 20 million dollars on the streets

Pigs

 

[JollyGreenGiant]

They probably had under 100 plants but the pigs broke a couple of limbs off and stuck em in dirt to push it to slightly over 100 to increase the change of them getting their pic in the paper! I think if anyone could turn 100 plants into 20 million a lot more people would be growing....

If each plant yielded 2 ounces = 202 ounces, split into 1/8ths = 1616 1/8ths, at 60 a piece "street prices" I'm only coming up with $96,960... a FAR cry from their 20 million figure.. In fact less than a half percent. Shouldn't that kind of exaggeration be illegal? I think I've heard of it before, it's called propaganda and this Hitler guy used it.

 

[kurlyq2g]

cops man....

 

[Lugen]

I would disagree that high electricity bills will bring about unwanted attention. If you pay your bills on time, what do they care? I mean it's a business, the idea is to make money. If you are making them money why would they say anything? As long as you arent using 95amps of your 100amp breaker 100% of the time, it's safe, and your paying so who cares??

If I have bills of $200/month or $3000/month, I wouldnt care, as long as they are paid....

 

[Chester]

I would disagree that high electricity bills will bring about unwanted attention. If you pay your bills on time, what do they care? I mean it's a business, the idea is to make money. If you are making them money why would they say anything? As long as you arent using 95amps of your 100amp breaker 100% of the time, it's safe, and your paying so who cares??

If I have bills of $200/month or $3000/month, I wouldnt care, as long as they are paid....

Almost correct... Don't exceed 70% of the service rating... The power company "cheats" a bit and uses undersized wire for the service entrance cable as a cost savings measure. And since it exceedingly rare that any homeowner approaches 100% of the service rateing it's generally no problem. If you are running 95 amps on a 100 amp service, the outside (service entrance) wires will be too hot to touch... (Give those birds a hotfoot)

So, 100 amp service, don't exceed 70 amps on a continuous basis. It will still get warm. 70% of the rating is your magic number, otherwise the power company is going to get concerned and start asking questions.

 

[Lugen]

70%, ah....I was always told 80% of the max rating was safe.

Maybe 80% was the rule for breakers off the main panel....

 

[roorer]

Even with a high electric bill AND thermal imaging, all it can do is draw some attention. If the proper security measures are taken:
1) no odors
2)no leaks
3) no incriminating trash
4) no large foot traffic
5)signs that someone actually lives in a house pulling 70% of their service rating

then the cops have nothing to go on for a warrant.

That was the whole point of the thread. DONT BE STUPID.

 

[Chester]

70%, ah....I was always told 80% of the max rating was safe.

Maybe 80% was the rule for breakers off the main panel....

Yep, 80% is the limit for a single receptacle. Meaning that a 20 Amp receptacle should not be loaded past 16 amps continuous or the contacts will heat past an acceptable limit. (12 Amps on any 15 amp receptacle)

You can load 2 receptacles on the 20 amp breaker to 19.5 with 9.75 on each and it will be OK. (Breaker might trip on general principles at 19.5 as they are not terribly accurate. Might not trip until 22 amps either...)

 

[Lugen]

Oh I see, so the amperage of a breaker is not too accurate.

40amps I know people who run 8 - 1kw ballast @ 240V which is 4.5amps X 8 ballasts= 36amps, which is a bit over the 80% load....