Herb Fellow
New Member
More and more people are buying homes for the sole purpose of growing marijuana, according to the Hennepin County Sheriff's Office, and they're buying those homes in upscale neighborhoods.
And in the last 20 months, deputies and other members of the metro-wide drug task force have been cracking down on the big business
Since Jan. 2006, they say they've seized nearly $29 million dollars worth of marijuana in homes or businesses with property values totaling more than $1 million dollars. The homes were outfitted with hundreds of thousands of dollars of growing equipment.
"It's kind of a startup business," Sheriff Rich Stanek said. "Find yourself a house, get some seeds."
Stanek said it's happening almost everywhere, from the middle of cities to suburbs and beyond.
"You can essentially set up a grow operation in a house or in a business." He said.
He added: the hydroponic marijuana grown in these operations is "high-grade" marijuana and is "three to four times more addictive" than marijuana grown outside.
Growers use artificial lights and carefully monitor nutrients to make the powerful pot.
Stanek said it's such a lucrative business, the growers use elaborate security systems to protect their homes and often protect themselves with high-powered weapons.
Two years ago, Minneapolis police told KARE11 The marijuana trade had become so lucrative drug dealers were fighting turf wars and would kill each other over marijuana "without a doubt."
Stanek said pot growers will do anything to protect their business.
"They're violent when they do these things," he said. "They're protecting their trade."
The sheriff's office didn't link any specific violent crimes to the recent drug busts.
But Stanek said it's a mistake for people to think the marijuana trade is less dangerous than the trade of other, harder drugs.
Source: KARN 11
Copyright: 2007 KARN 11 News
Contact: Scott Goldberg, KARE 11 News
Website: kare11.com :: KARE 11 TV - Sheriff says marijuana business is "growing"
And in the last 20 months, deputies and other members of the metro-wide drug task force have been cracking down on the big business
Since Jan. 2006, they say they've seized nearly $29 million dollars worth of marijuana in homes or businesses with property values totaling more than $1 million dollars. The homes were outfitted with hundreds of thousands of dollars of growing equipment.
"It's kind of a startup business," Sheriff Rich Stanek said. "Find yourself a house, get some seeds."
Stanek said it's happening almost everywhere, from the middle of cities to suburbs and beyond.
"You can essentially set up a grow operation in a house or in a business." He said.
He added: the hydroponic marijuana grown in these operations is "high-grade" marijuana and is "three to four times more addictive" than marijuana grown outside.
Growers use artificial lights and carefully monitor nutrients to make the powerful pot.
Stanek said it's such a lucrative business, the growers use elaborate security systems to protect their homes and often protect themselves with high-powered weapons.
Two years ago, Minneapolis police told KARE11 The marijuana trade had become so lucrative drug dealers were fighting turf wars and would kill each other over marijuana "without a doubt."
Stanek said pot growers will do anything to protect their business.
"They're violent when they do these things," he said. "They're protecting their trade."
The sheriff's office didn't link any specific violent crimes to the recent drug busts.
But Stanek said it's a mistake for people to think the marijuana trade is less dangerous than the trade of other, harder drugs.
Source: KARN 11
Copyright: 2007 KARN 11 News
Contact: Scott Goldberg, KARE 11 News
Website: kare11.com :: KARE 11 TV - Sheriff says marijuana business is "growing"
