Two fully dedicated grow house (Marijuana)busted outside Richmond Va

[underpants]

Big pot-growing operation busted
http://www.timesdispatch.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=RTD%2FMGArticle%2FRTD_BasicArticle&c=MGArticle&cid=1031783404373&path=%21news&s=1045855934842

The outside of the Caroline County home was neatly trimmed and well-kept, with freshly cut grass.

Inside, everything went to pot.

So much pot, say Virginia State Police, that two men devoted every room in the house, in addition to the living space in another home in Powhatan County, to cultivate a bumper crop of high-quality cannabis with a street value in excess of $3.2 million.

Police yesterday announced the seizure of 1,084 "high-quality" marijuana plants and three pounds of processed marijuana in connection with raids last week on four residences in Ruther Glen, Powhatan, Tappahanock and Colonial Heights.

Nobody lived at the houses. A state police video showed the interior to be densely forested, with hundreds of planters holding the slender, jagged-leafed weed.

Both houses were "expertly converted into fully operational marijuana grow houses," said state police Lt. Richard A. Childers of the Richmond Drug Enforcement Section.

Childers said the houses were equipped with "extensive ventilation systems and illegal electrical circuits" that enabled the pair to nurture their crop from room to room, through all stages of development.

"Because the growing conditions inside were premium, they were able to produce a very high-quality plant" worth $3,000 to $5,000 per pound, said Geller.

Still, the operation went undetected for months, according to officials, who said both homes were cared for on the outside, giving the appearance that everything was normal. Geller said a call from an "alert citizen" led police to the grow houses.

Police seized 944 plants in various stages of growth and one pound of processed marijuana last Thursday at the Caroline County home in the 25300 block of Ruther Glen Road. A second search warrant executed in the 2500 block of Mountain View Road in Powhatan, netted 140 additional plants and two pounds of pot.

[Jara sang]

1. !

:cry:

[Shell Beau]

2. Wow! They knew what they were doing.

Pot has such a strong smell, though. I cannot believe they weren't caught earlier just by the odor of tons of plants growing.

[underpants]

4. Yes apparently they did

I didn't know pot had that strong of a smell while growing.

I am surprised someone didn't get tipped off by what had to be a huge electricity usage-that is one way they track down inside growers (I have read)- but maybe that is what the illegal wiring was for.

[Shell Beau]

5. A friend of mine went over to this guy's house who

was apparently growing a good deal of pot. She said the smell was overwhelming. I am not really sure as to how strong it smells, but if you have a house full of it, it seems it would be pretty strong!

[Trigger Hippie]

3. What a tragedy. (n/t)