Apr 30, 2008 7:52 pm US/Eastern
DEA Cracks Down On "Growing" Drug House Problem
Miami Dade Is Number One In The State For Grow Houses
Number Of Grow House Raids Has Double In The Last Year
MIAMI (CBS4) ―
From the nicest of neighborhoods to ones that are so middle class you'd probably never notice them – there's a growing problem across South Florida that is growing out of control.
They're called "grow houses", where drug dealers use the interior of an unassuming home to grow marijuana.
CBS4 reporter Peter D'Oench recently joined agents from the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency during a raid on a Southwest Miami Dade house that had been under surveillance for months.
Inside were two rooms filled with marijuana plants that were just weeks from being harvested and sold. Each room held 50 plants that had been grown using hydroponics and special lighting to accelerate growth without natural sunlight.
DEA special agent Anthony Angelli said they're seeing more and more "grow houses' all across south Florida, and it concerns him.
"It's just flowing all over South Florida. It's easy to put these grows together," said Angelli.
DEA agents said each of the plant recovered in the southwest Miami Dade home would yield roughly one pound of marijuana which could be sold for as much as $4-thousand; that one single home could generate as much as $800-thousand per year if the plants are harvested four times a year.
This is an alarming thought to neighbors like Clemente Aday on several levels
"I hate drugs," said Aday, "and these people depreciate my house."
Police agencies say "grow houses" spawn more crime in the neighborhoods they are located in and the chemicals used to keep the plants healthy can cause fires. Also, the special lights used to grow the plants indoors require use extraordinary amounts of electricity; the homeowner often has to steal it from neighbors.
According to the DEA, Miami Dade has the highest number of "grow houses" in the state; so many are popping up across the state that agents have had to double the number of raids they conduct each year.
In 2007, federal and state agents along with local law enforcement raided one thousand suspected "grow houses"; the year before that only 510 drug houses were found.
"The issue that's a concern to us is that this is huge money and that's why these criminal organizations are in it," said the DEA's Mark Trouville. "A great deal of it is controlled by Cuban organized crime out of Miami. Any criminal organization making money on drugs gets more powerful making drugs. We are very concerned about putting these people in jail.
Trouville, a special agent in charge in Miami, says to make matters worse the marijuana being grown and sold these days is more dangerous than ever.
"This marijuana being produced right now is 10 time more powerful than 20 years ago," said Trouville. "We don't have the education out there on the street to tell people about that."
That is why, Trouville says, the DEA can't let up on raiding the "grow houses" across South Florida; many of which are being bought just for this purpose.
"They employ realtors, employ people involved with mortgages. They employ electricians. They buy homes all over the state and they proceed to grow marijuana in these homes," said Trouville. "So we're very concerned about the illicit profits and how potent it is and, what it means to our youth. The drug is often portrayed as the innocent drug. That's not the case nowadays."
Grow houses have become a tremendous problem for local law enforcement and are constantly on the look out for tell tale signs that one has been set up in a community; tint on all the windows of the home, excessive use of electricity, a unique odor coming from the house, doors often being left open, and "suspicious activity" at the home 3-4 times a year.
Those caught owning, or running, a "grow house" can be charged with trafficking in marijuana; If convicted, the charge carries a 3 year minimum prison sentence if it involved more than 25 pounds of marijuana.
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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