Cannabis Catastrophe: Local homes being used as illegal marijuana grows

Marijuana laws have significantly loosened up in the state of California.

Voters approved Proposition 64 in November of 2016, making it legal for those 21 and over to grow marijuana for personal use. Residents can now legally grow up to six marijuana plants at home.

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Beginning January 1st of next year the legal sale and taxation of recreational marijuana will go into effect.

With more dispensaries being approved in Coachella Valley cities and a higher demand for marijuana, law enforcement is seeing some new ways people are trying to make a quick buck by skirting the law.

A lucrative marijuana black market has surfaced in the Coachella Valley, according to Riverside County Sheriff’s Department’s Marijuana Enforcement Team, putting residents at risk and possibly in danger.

News Channel 3’s I-Team reporter Karen Devine spoke with city, county and federal law enforcement about the increase in rental properties becoming secret marijuana cultivation sites.

Palm Springs landlord Brooke Gunther tells KESQ’s Karen Devine about the day in January when Palm Springs police busted into her rental home after learning there was a large illegal marijuana grow inside. It happened just days after Gunther stumbled upon the sophisticated operation.

Gunther says she was delivering a new pool pump to her rental home. She says, she went through the garage to go to the backyard when she and a friend spotted the door to go into the house ajar. She pushed it open and was shocked to find her home was full of marijuana plants.

Gunther told Devine, “They had walled up my windows and doors everything walled up my kitchen, I mean it was a sight, you could tell from looking at it, it was professionally done. They’d already harvested one load because they cut them off at the base and threw all the pots and dirt in the laundry room. Every room was hooked up to a timer, that’s how they did it remotely.”

When asked about her initial reaction, Gunther replied, “Horrified, I couldn’t believe it.”

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Seven months after the raid, Gunther says construction crews are working to fix the $155,000 in damage. Insurance paid $90,000, not enough, according Gunther to get the house back to the way it was. She had to pay an attorney and she says her credit rating has suffered.

Agent Daniel Dobas of the Drug Enforcement Administration said Gunther’s discovery in her rental home is not a new occurrence. “Criminals target rental homes in high-end gated communities because the owners mostly live out of state,” he said.

Dobas oversees federal drug-related crimes in the Coachella Valley. His team works in conjunction local law enforcement to take down larger illegal grows.

In May, two separate illegal marijuana grows were discovered in the Rancho Mirage gated community of Via Tuscany.

The DEA said they confiscated 2,500 plants, 25 pounds of processed marijuana and approximately $46,000. There were multiple arrests but no convictions.

Read: Police discover nearly 2,500 marijuana plants inside 2 Rancho Mirage homes

“There’s been an increase in illegal indoor grows locally with an uptick in the Coachella Valley. This is driven by the marijuana demand and the black market,” said Lt.Paul Bennett of the Riverside County Sheriff’s Marijuana Enforcement Team.

“The black market’s always been there, and It always will be there, it’s the lure of easy money,” Dobas said.

Gunther says she had a difficult time getting law enforcement to come to the house and protect her property. Law enforcement told Devine that there’s a lot of back ground work they have to do before they perform a raid for legal purposes and for their own safety.

“There’s a lot of high-quality investigators at the state local and federal level but there’s a lot of work, 7 days a week and not enough time to get through back log cases,” said Dobas.

No arrests were made in the raid at Gunther’s Palm Springs home. According to Gunther, it was evident the growers had taken their valuable crop, leaving quickly and completely wrecking her property.

“I am not the only one that this is going to happen to, this is an epidemic,” Gunther said.

Police say, in Gunther’s case, it’s now a landlord/tenant issue if she wants to press charges for damages.

Could this be happening in your neighborhood? We continued our interview with DEA Special Agent Daniel Dobas who gave us some tips on how to spot a grow house in your rental or neighborhood. The dangers to the surrounding community and who to call if you see something you think is illegal happening.

News Channel 3’s Karen Devine asks, “What are some of the signs there’s an illegal marijuana grow in your rental or neighborhood?”

“The windows will be blacked out or taped over you wont see any light that’s emitted from the windows.”

“There’s usually a heavy heavy odor of marijuana, sort of like a skunky odor even with proper ventilation, you’ll get a heavy odor.”

Dobas says illegal growers will destroy the inside of a home to get as many plants in as they can.

“The growers will create additional rooms with plywood, there’s addition lighting, there’s mold on the ceilings and in the walls, there’s a dangerous fire hazard because they’re stealing electricity to power the powerful grow lights. so there is a lot of humidty inside, it’s a dangerous situation.”

What are some of the other dangers landlords and neighbors are facing if there’s a home has been turned into a grow house?

“The main danger is the danger of fire from illegally taping into the electricity. But, I have personally seen illegal growers in the house with weapons, there’s a large amount of pesticides and chemicals.”

What should neighbors do if they think there’s a marijuana grow in the house?

“First I would call local police, the sheriff’s department.”

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