Fire reveals illegal marijuana operation

Last Updated on Thursday, 13 November 2008 09:15 Written by halejd Thursday, 13 November 2008 09:15

By Dana Yates

Police discovered an illegal marijuana growing operation in Millbrae yesterday after a fire broke out in a home at 1308 Vista Grande at approximately 11:10 a.m. Tuesday.

Millbrae Firefighters discovered pot plants throughout the home and called police.

“The cause of the fire was electrical that came from illegal wiring,” said Ron Lavezzo, Millbrae Fire Department division chief.

Lavezzo confirmed police were on scene, but declined to comment further.

Often, police are tipped off to illegal pot farms when firefighters respond to electrical fires. Growers avoid detection by stealing electricity straight from power poles and install electrical converters inside the house to help power numerous lamps, Marc Alcantara, of the San Mateo County Narcotics Task Force, told the Daily Journal in September.

The task force works year-round to stop drug trafficking in the county and usually spends the summer eradicating outdoor gardens usually hidden in the coastal ridge. However, more and more illegal growers are moving indoors — ruining rental properties, stealing electricity and producing more plants, Alcantara said.

The growers commonly rent a house with no intention of anyone living there. They convert rooms to grow marijuana, often assigning different rooms to different parts of the operation — seedlings, mature plants, drying and packaging. Someone using a false name rents the homes, mostly in north county cities like South San Francisco and Daly City.

Once inside, the criminals often ruin the home by cutting holes in the ceilings for ventilation. In one case, a four-foot vent system was cut into the ceiling and through a second floor to the roof, Alcantara said.

Dana Yates can be reached by e-mail: dana@smdailyjournal.com or by phone: (650) 344-5200 ext. 106.

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