Jim Finnel
Fallen Cannabis Warrior & Ex News Moderator
Log Cabin Grow Busted
Authorities said yesterday they have discovered an elaborate underground marijuana-growing operation beneath a log cabin in the mountain community of Santa Ysabel that is accessible by elevator and a 65-foot tunnel and protected by a sophisticated infrared security system.
After receiving tips from confidential sources, agents from the Drug Enforcement Administration's Narcotics Task Force and the Internal Revenue Service served search warrants at the property last Wednesday and seized 454 marijuana plants, according to court records.
Agents arrested Damien Andrews, 34, the property owner, and two others suspected of maintaining and distributing the plants, which are more potent and far more valuable on the market than marijuana grown outdoors.
“I've been involved in over 60 search warrants on marijuana grows, and this is a very unusual one,” Assistant U.S. Attorney Sherri Walker Hobson said.
Andrews and his alleged partners, Anthony Martin Hillerby, 40, of Encinitas and Sean Daniel Smith, 35, of Santa Ysabel, have pleaded not guilty to charges of conspiracy to manufacture marijuana plants and manufacturing marijuana plants. A conviction could result in prison terms of between five and 40 years.
The government has seized Andrews' 39-acre Santa Ysabel property, his $1.4 million beach house on Neptune Avenue in Encinitas and his residence on Compass Road in Oceanside.
A civil forfeiture complaint filed by the IRS indicated that the properties were used to launder proceeds from marijuana sales. Based on findings of the complaint, money laundering and bank fraud charges are expected to be sought against Andrews.
The court records alleged that Andrews deceived the IRS and banks about his income, “attempting to legitimize his drug proceeds,” to obtain loans that he would otherwise not be able to get.
On loan applications, Andrews claimed his gross monthly income from Damike, a company he and his brother created, was $25,000 per month, or $300,000 a year, the court document said.
Authorities said marijuana grown indoors can sell for $4,000 to $5,000 a pound, versus $300 a pound for the outdoor variety.
Depending on a grower's harvesting methods, 454 plants could produce tens of thousands of dollars in profits every few weeks. For example, DEA agents said 62 of the plants seized last week were ready for harvest. They could yield 7 to 14 pounds at the next harvest, or $30,000 to $60,000, with another batch ready for harvest a few weeks later.
At the cabin in Santa Ysabel – the town where the famous Dudley's Bakery and a Julian Apple Pie factory are located – growers used two large rooms beneath a garage adjacent to the log cabin, officials said. The rooms were equipped with irrigation, lighting, electrical and ventilation systems.
The growing area was accessible through an elevator, which was concealed in a walk-in closet, authorities said. Once the growers exited the elevator, they entered a 4-foot-wide, 65-foot-long tunnel leading to the growing rooms.
Hobson, the prosecutor, described the bright rooms where marijuana was cultivated this way: “You can see the light at the end of the tunnel.”
News Hawk- User 420 MAGAZINE ® - Medical Marijuana Publication & Social Networking
Source: SignOnSanDiego.com
Author: Kelly Thornton
Contact: kelly.thornton@uniontrib.com
Copyright: 2007 Union-Tribune Publishing Co
Website: 454 marijuana plants seized under log cabin
Authorities said yesterday they have discovered an elaborate underground marijuana-growing operation beneath a log cabin in the mountain community of Santa Ysabel that is accessible by elevator and a 65-foot tunnel and protected by a sophisticated infrared security system.
After receiving tips from confidential sources, agents from the Drug Enforcement Administration's Narcotics Task Force and the Internal Revenue Service served search warrants at the property last Wednesday and seized 454 marijuana plants, according to court records.
Agents arrested Damien Andrews, 34, the property owner, and two others suspected of maintaining and distributing the plants, which are more potent and far more valuable on the market than marijuana grown outdoors.
“I've been involved in over 60 search warrants on marijuana grows, and this is a very unusual one,” Assistant U.S. Attorney Sherri Walker Hobson said.
Andrews and his alleged partners, Anthony Martin Hillerby, 40, of Encinitas and Sean Daniel Smith, 35, of Santa Ysabel, have pleaded not guilty to charges of conspiracy to manufacture marijuana plants and manufacturing marijuana plants. A conviction could result in prison terms of between five and 40 years.
The government has seized Andrews' 39-acre Santa Ysabel property, his $1.4 million beach house on Neptune Avenue in Encinitas and his residence on Compass Road in Oceanside.
A civil forfeiture complaint filed by the IRS indicated that the properties were used to launder proceeds from marijuana sales. Based on findings of the complaint, money laundering and bank fraud charges are expected to be sought against Andrews.
The court records alleged that Andrews deceived the IRS and banks about his income, “attempting to legitimize his drug proceeds,” to obtain loans that he would otherwise not be able to get.
On loan applications, Andrews claimed his gross monthly income from Damike, a company he and his brother created, was $25,000 per month, or $300,000 a year, the court document said.
Authorities said marijuana grown indoors can sell for $4,000 to $5,000 a pound, versus $300 a pound for the outdoor variety.
Depending on a grower's harvesting methods, 454 plants could produce tens of thousands of dollars in profits every few weeks. For example, DEA agents said 62 of the plants seized last week were ready for harvest. They could yield 7 to 14 pounds at the next harvest, or $30,000 to $60,000, with another batch ready for harvest a few weeks later.
At the cabin in Santa Ysabel – the town where the famous Dudley's Bakery and a Julian Apple Pie factory are located – growers used two large rooms beneath a garage adjacent to the log cabin, officials said. The rooms were equipped with irrigation, lighting, electrical and ventilation systems.
The growing area was accessible through an elevator, which was concealed in a walk-in closet, authorities said. Once the growers exited the elevator, they entered a 4-foot-wide, 65-foot-long tunnel leading to the growing rooms.
Hobson, the prosecutor, described the bright rooms where marijuana was cultivated this way: “You can see the light at the end of the tunnel.”
News Hawk- User 420 MAGAZINE ® - Medical Marijuana Publication & Social Networking
Source: SignOnSanDiego.com
Author: Kelly Thornton
Contact: kelly.thornton@uniontrib.com
Copyright: 2007 Union-Tribune Publishing Co
Website: 454 marijuana plants seized under log cabin
