Pubdate: Sun, 14 Nov 2010 Source: San Jose Mercury News (CA) Copyright: 2010 San Jose Mercury News Contact: http://www.mercurynews.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/390 Author: Mark Gomez CAN THE HOUSE NEXT DOOR BE AN INDOOR POT FARM? It could be the house next door, with a well-kept front yard and neighbors who are quiet, polite and raise no suspicion. But there is little furniture inside these San Jose homes. Instead, there are rows and rows of marijuana plants carefully fed by elaborate water systems and powered by illegally installed electrical systems that are prone to short-circuit and cause fires. In neighborhoods throughout San Jose, drug dealers are converting single-family homes into urban marijuana gardens capable of generating millions of dollars in profits. The haphazard wiring and illegal electrical hookups used in grow houses have sparked eight residential fires this year in San Jose, according to police. The large number of fires is reflective of an unprecedented spike in residential marijuana grow houses in San Jose that police believe is linked to the rapid growth in medical marijuana dispensaries. Police have located marijuana gardens of at least 180 plants in 16 homes this year, a staggering increase from previous years, according to Capt. Larry Ryan. In some cases, the marijuana growers bypass PG&E meters and tap directly into main power lines to avoid racking up four-digit power bills that can expose their operations. They overload electrical circuits with illegal and unsafe wiring and sometimes knock down load-bearing walls. "They try and maximize their profit and are not really concerned with the damage to the property," said Lt. Brian Ferrante, with the San Jose police narcotics and covert operations unit. "They walk away with their profit and leave behind a destroyed home." The fires have been sparked mostly in homes in East and South San Jose and have caused an estimated $423,000 in damage. Inside those homes, police found about 3,030 marijuana plants potentially worth $18 million to $36 million each year, according to law enforcement officials. One indoor marijuana farm can generate more than $1 million in profit if harvested three to four times a year, according to police. And marijuana is not the only illegal drug found inside the homes. San Jose police seized more than 900 Ecstasy tablets in one home; in another, more than 3 pounds of methamphetamine. Before this recent spike in marijuana houses, San Jose police found just a handful of large indoor operations. Ryan said during his three-year stint working in narcotics that his unit dealt with just one. "What it resembles is the explosion of meth labs in the late '90s," Ryan said. "Now we're seeing indoor marijuana grows. That's how I see the trend changing." In most of the San Jose cases, the homes are rental properties. Growers set up shop knowing they need only three to four months before harvesting the plants. Ryan says growers use armed guards to protect their investments, which creates a potentially dangerous scenario for neighbors. This summer, a man was fatally shot by a resident after breaking into an Antioch home where marijuana was being grown. Clusters of marijuana grow houses are popping up in homes throughout California, according to Bob Cooke, the South Bay's special agent in charge of the state Attorney General's Bureau of Narcotics. Cooke said his agency has seen organized efforts by groups looking to take advantage of the fragile housing market. Earlier this year, law enforcement agents arrested seven people in the Sacramento area on suspicion of operating two large indoor marijuana farms. And the quality of marijuana being grown indoors is superior to the product that comes from outdoors. The indoor growers are "really like horticulturists. They're growing some of the best marijuana and selling to the highest bidder," Cooke said. The first fire this year that was sparked by a marijuana grow house occurred Jan. 19, when about 400 plants were found in a home on Edgebank Drive near Tully and Quimby roads. As firefighters attacked a blaze discovered in the attic, they found marijuana plants being grown in five bedrooms. The largest marijuana garden discovered as the result of a fire was found on July 13 at Sugar Maple Drive, near Snell Avenue and Skyway Drive. A neighbor was outside when he heard popping sounds and saw lights flickering inside the home, then spotted smoke coming from the electric meter. The most recent fire was sparked in August on Plainfield Drive, near Branham Lane and Monterey Highway. Firefighters determined that the blaze was sparked by a PG&E meter that had been tampered with. Inside, firefighters found 170 marijuana plants. Steven Vu, who lives across the street, said it's "kind of scary" to know neighbors were growing marijuana in mass quantities. Vu said the people who were residing in the house were there for about four months and he would sometimes see them watering the front lawn. "They seemed somewhat friendly," Vu said. - --- MAP posted-by: Jo-D