One of the biggest sources for identifying a grow house is
public information. Even grown indoors, large scale marijuana production comes
with several telltale signs. Not all these signs may alert the public to a
house containing a grow op, but many of them are enough to elicit complaints
which can put the location on police radars.
-
Ninety percent of the grow houses discovered by
law enforcement are the result of tips.
-
The tips can be anonymous or, as in most cases,
usually provided by defendants who have been arrested for similar or other
types of drug offenses.
-
Suspicious behaviors or appearances are a common
way to recognize a grow op. For instance, people coming and going at odd times
of the day/night or numerous visitors showing up for short periods.
-
Equipment noise can result in complaints from neighbors.
Producing large quantities of marijuana indoors can require significant
equipment usage. With the equipment running even during the night, complaints
are not uncommon. The noise is often amplified by the use of generators to hide
the elevated electricity use a grow op requires.
-
Finally, the odour is a big indicator in helping
to identify grow ops. Growing, harvesting, drying, and consuming the plants
produces an unmistakable odour. Produced in large quantities, this smell is
hard to hide. A sweet skunky, rotting smell constantly permeates the building.
Neighbours notice the constant odour and may tip off the police.
-
Attempts to cover up the smell of a grow ops,
like mothballs or fabric sprays can be just as overwhelming, alerting the
public just as easily as the smells of drug cultivation themselves.
-
A public tip is unlikely to directly result in a
search warrant but can alert police to monitor a location. Then they can gather
enough evidence to get a warrant.
Visible Signs
The visible signs of a grow op help identify site locations
by the police. The larger the operation, the more apparent these signs may
become.
-
The windows and walls are major giveaways.
Condensation, for example, builds up rapidly due to the high humidity
requirements of marijuana cultivation. Mildew, mould, and rot often show up on
the windows and walls.
-
Coverings may be placed on the windows to block
sunlight and/or protect from visible signs of condensation. Plastic coverings
and tightly shut blinds that never open are common signs.
-
Abandoned buildings are another thing to look
out for. The ludicrous value of real estate, even an empty lot can sell for a
small fortune － and sells fast.
-
So there isn’t much reason to leave a place abandoned
unless it’s generating revenue some other way. Grow Ops are often not lived in
and so, may appear abandoned.
-
To disguise this, some grow houses will leave
the lights, TV, and radio on at all hours of the day. They may even leave
children’s toys on the lawn (even though children are never seen on the
property) to make it appear lived-in.
-
There may also be attempts to deter closer
inspection, such as Beware of Dog, or Guard Dog signs. If anyone is paying
attention, these sorts of distractions are just as suspicious as leaving the
building abandoned.
Power Usage
-
Even for personal use, growing marijuana uses a
noticeable increase in your power bill. A home operation can tack on an extra
$10 to $80 per month, depending on where you live, how much you grow, and the
equipment you use. When producing larger quantities for distribution, the power
demand is far more significant.
-
The intense power usage by grow ops may be
noticed by the power company, the neighbours or the police. Frequent outages
and/or periods of dimmed lighting and reduced power in neighbouring homes can
be a sign of a nearby operation.
-
As well, discovering electricity theft or large
spikes in power are typical tipoffs that marijuana cultivation is going on.
History
-
Police tend to keep tabs on previous grow houses
and locations. These grow op locations are usually known to gangs, who will
reuse them often. Periodically checking in on these locations can help uncover
drug cultivation.
Radio
-
Radios can be used to help identify the presence
of grow ops and uncover their location. This is something that was initially
discovered by HAM radio hobbyists, who started getting interference with their
radio signals.
-
Now it is known that the equipment used in drug
cultivation is a common source of this interference. To figure out the source
of the disruption, police can use trilateralization with multiple radios. The
closer the radio is to the source, the greater the disruption.
-
To trilateralize the location, they take a radio
and make a circle on a map where the interference is strongest. Then, they do
the same with radios at two different starting points. Comparing the maps, they
see where the circles overlap, resulting in a good approximation of the grow
ops location.
Heat Detection
-
Police also possess advanced equipment for
detecting drug cultivation. One such device is infrared cameras. Different
plants, like cannabis, emit their own specific heat signatures. With the right
equipment, these signatures can even be picked up through walls. This allows
police to detect marijuana without a search warrant.
HOW POLICE SEPARATE ILLEGAL GROW OPS FROM LEGAL GROWING
-
The main differentiator between detecting
illegal grow ops and legal growing is scale.
-
Growing marijuana for personal use results in fewer
obvious signs of a grow op, and the signs that are there are less noticeable.
-
There's no reason for legal growing to result in
suspicious behaviour or cause significant disruption.
-
If abiding by local laws, it’s unlikely that
growing 6 plants will be discovered. And if they are, you don’t have to worry
about a marijuana grow op charges.
-
Growing a larger number of plants, however, is
much easier to detect, and neighbours are more likely to report the
accompanying suspicious behaviour.
Long Z. Liu
Liu Law, Inc.
1163 Fairway Dr., Suite 105
City of Industry, CA 91789
Hours:
M-F 9:00 am - 6:00 pm
Tel:
(909) 468-2165 // (909) 468-2167 // (909) 468-2170
Fax: (815) 331-0657
public information. Even grown indoors, large scale marijuana production comes
with several telltale signs. Not all these signs may alert the public to a
house containing a grow op, but many of them are enough to elicit complaints
which can put the location on police radars.
-
Ninety percent of the grow houses discovered by
law enforcement are the result of tips.
-
The tips can be anonymous or, as in most cases,
usually provided by defendants who have been arrested for similar or other
types of drug offenses.
-
Suspicious behaviors or appearances are a common
way to recognize a grow op. For instance, people coming and going at odd times
of the day/night or numerous visitors showing up for short periods.
-
Equipment noise can result in complaints from neighbors.
Producing large quantities of marijuana indoors can require significant
equipment usage. With the equipment running even during the night, complaints
are not uncommon. The noise is often amplified by the use of generators to hide
the elevated electricity use a grow op requires.
-
Finally, the odour is a big indicator in helping
to identify grow ops. Growing, harvesting, drying, and consuming the plants
produces an unmistakable odour. Produced in large quantities, this smell is
hard to hide. A sweet skunky, rotting smell constantly permeates the building.
Neighbours notice the constant odour and may tip off the police.
-
Attempts to cover up the smell of a grow ops,
like mothballs or fabric sprays can be just as overwhelming, alerting the
public just as easily as the smells of drug cultivation themselves.
-
A public tip is unlikely to directly result in a
search warrant but can alert police to monitor a location. Then they can gather
enough evidence to get a warrant.
Visible Signs
The visible signs of a grow op help identify site locations
by the police. The larger the operation, the more apparent these signs may
become.
-
The windows and walls are major giveaways.
Condensation, for example, builds up rapidly due to the high humidity
requirements of marijuana cultivation. Mildew, mould, and rot often show up on
the windows and walls.
-
Coverings may be placed on the windows to block
sunlight and/or protect from visible signs of condensation. Plastic coverings
and tightly shut blinds that never open are common signs.
-
Abandoned buildings are another thing to look
out for. The ludicrous value of real estate, even an empty lot can sell for a
small fortune － and sells fast.
-
So there isn’t much reason to leave a place abandoned
unless it’s generating revenue some other way. Grow Ops are often not lived in
and so, may appear abandoned.
-
To disguise this, some grow houses will leave
the lights, TV, and radio on at all hours of the day. They may even leave
children’s toys on the lawn (even though children are never seen on the
property) to make it appear lived-in.
-
There may also be attempts to deter closer
inspection, such as Beware of Dog, or Guard Dog signs. If anyone is paying
attention, these sorts of distractions are just as suspicious as leaving the
building abandoned.
Power Usage
-
Even for personal use, growing marijuana uses a
noticeable increase in your power bill. A home operation can tack on an extra
$10 to $80 per month, depending on where you live, how much you grow, and the
equipment you use. When producing larger quantities for distribution, the power
demand is far more significant.
-
The intense power usage by grow ops may be
noticed by the power company, the neighbours or the police. Frequent outages
and/or periods of dimmed lighting and reduced power in neighbouring homes can
be a sign of a nearby operation.
-
As well, discovering electricity theft or large
spikes in power are typical tipoffs that marijuana cultivation is going on.
History
-
Police tend to keep tabs on previous grow houses
and locations. These grow op locations are usually known to gangs, who will
reuse them often. Periodically checking in on these locations can help uncover
drug cultivation.
Radio
-
Radios can be used to help identify the presence
of grow ops and uncover their location. This is something that was initially
discovered by HAM radio hobbyists, who started getting interference with their
radio signals.
-
Now it is known that the equipment used in drug
cultivation is a common source of this interference. To figure out the source
of the disruption, police can use trilateralization with multiple radios. The
closer the radio is to the source, the greater the disruption.
-
To trilateralize the location, they take a radio
and make a circle on a map where the interference is strongest. Then, they do
the same with radios at two different starting points. Comparing the maps, they
see where the circles overlap, resulting in a good approximation of the grow
ops location.
Heat Detection
-
Police also possess advanced equipment for
detecting drug cultivation. One such device is infrared cameras. Different
plants, like cannabis, emit their own specific heat signatures. With the right
equipment, these signatures can even be picked up through walls. This allows
police to detect marijuana without a search warrant.
HOW POLICE SEPARATE ILLEGAL GROW OPS FROM LEGAL GROWING
-
The main differentiator between detecting
illegal grow ops and legal growing is scale.
-
Growing marijuana for personal use results in fewer
obvious signs of a grow op, and the signs that are there are less noticeable.
-
There's no reason for legal growing to result in
suspicious behaviour or cause significant disruption.
-
If abiding by local laws, it’s unlikely that
growing 6 plants will be discovered. And if they are, you don’t have to worry
about a marijuana grow op charges.
-
Growing a larger number of plants, however, is
much easier to detect, and neighbours are more likely to report the
accompanying suspicious behaviour.
Long Z. Liu
Liu Law, Inc.
1163 Fairway Dr., Suite 105
City of Industry, CA 91789
Hours:
M-F 9:00 am - 6:00 pm
Tel:
(909) 468-2165 // (909) 468-2167 // (909) 468-2170
Fax: (815) 331-0657
