Marijuana.com

newgrowerNY

Raid on U.D. house yields pot farm bust
12.19.06|ZWire.Com

Police who raided a Drexel Hill home allegedly learned the place had literally gone to pot. Officers said they found 93 marijuana plants growing in a sophisticated hydroponics farm when drug agents swooped down on the residence Saturday afternoon.


Officials said they hauled out an estimated $18,000 worth of equipment and 93 marijuana plants with a street value of $30,000.

Saji Ravindran, 29, of the 300 block of Windermere Avenue, currently detained in a Philadelphia prison on drug violation charges, will be served with drug dealing and drug manufacturing charges while behind bars.

Reckless endangerment and causing or risking a catastrophe charges will also be lodged due to the potential of a volatile explosion and fire from the quantity of radiant lamps, extension cords and fertilizer found.


Heavy-duty extension cords, funneled from the first floor to the second-floor bedrooms through holes poked in the ceilings, snaked through the single home in the Lansdowne section of Drexel Hill.

Windows were covered with black plastic in the three individually air-conditioned bedrooms used to house the plants in the controlled environment under the radiant glow-light lamps marketed for growing plants indoors.

"A relative of the homeowner went to check on the house and heard the smoke detector sounding," Police Superintendent Michael Chitwood said of the Saturday-afternoon incident. "She called, and Upper Darby police had to force entry."

According to Capt. George Rhoades Jr., the uniformed officers immediately secured the scene and contacted narcotics officers. "We were notified and obtained search warrants," saidRhoades, who oversaw the procedure to document the findings and dismantle the operation.

"We found one of the most elaborate, sophisticated hydroponics system in three separate bedrooms," Chitwood said. "Not only was it extremely elaborate, but it was extremely dangerous."

According to Chitwood, Ravindran was arrested Dec. 5 by Philadelphia police, who located a quantity of marijuana plants growing under the same type of hydroponics system at the Dockside Apartments on Columbus Boulevard near Penn’s Landing.

"It was similar to what we have here," Chitwood said. "The electrical hookups are extensive, with extension cords. Because he’s been in jail for three weeks, (the plants) were starting to wilt.

"We’re lucky the entire block didn’t blow up because of all the fertilizer, all the lamps and cords. We believe it was unattended for three weeks. He is being charged with causing or risking a catastrophe because of the danger he put the community it. That’s the thing that angers me, the people he put at risk in the residential area."

The single home, that police say belongs to Ravindran’s parents, who were away in India, was sparsely furnished.

According to officials, Ravindran had a mattress on the floor of one of the four bedrooms.

The other three bedrooms contained the hydroponics setup where the plants were cultivated in an artificial environment of liquid rather than soil.

"The way he had it set up was unbelievable," Chitwood said. "Everything was on timers. We called the fire department and haz-mat teams in to make sure the place wasn’t booby-trapped. We don’t know if he was acting alone. Certainly he was distributing (drugs). I’m sure a whole cast of characters are involved."

 

1tokeovertheline

With the profit he could have made, he should have contacted Hawg and 1toke. We could have upgraded his electrical service and rewired the house for a small share of the crop. Some people are just too greedy to share the wealth.

Then why were the plants wilting while he was in jail?? Duh!!!

newgrowerNY

Propaganda .. pure and simple. Take a stroll over to Gardenscure.com and take a look at how many houses have blown up because of fertilizer.

I think its safe to assume that with this fella, it was prob the first he has seen.

__________________
Posting Guidelines




Disclaimer: I love to grow

Buzzby

This sounds very suspicious to me. $18,000 worth of equipment to grow 93 plants? A fully-automated hydro system on that scale wouldn't cost more than $4,000. 93 plants with a street value of $30,000? That's only $323 per plant. Usually plants are valued at $1,000 and up. Maybe most of them were very small.

__________________

SirSmokaALot

Why are Government still living back in 1940's believing that weed's all evil... these people need to get their heads outta of anti-drug books ass

 

doranman2

Lions, tigers and bears! But seriously, I pity the poor guy for getting caught by Big Brother. They got his balls in a bear-trap. There but by the grace of God go I. In Kentuckey a Sheriff got voted out of office after he threw too many local familiy providers or their children in prison for trying to make ends meet. Can't stay home stoned. Gotta get out there and vote, maybe campaigning for a candidate who will back decriminalization. Don't wait till it gets like Nazi Germany. Be creative! How about one hundred people calling in that they hear a fire alarm. Plant an activated alarm on the porch of a pain in the ass neighbor. Overwhelm the police with false leads, throw a monkey wrench into the machine and rage.

Dachshund12

They only got one of the grow ops in Philly. This won't effect the supply of Philly nuggs that come to where I live.

kcbennie

Have you been outside lately. We're almost there. I saw a video online where a guy was talking about forced labor camps in the USA. He was providing a ton of credible souces for his info and saying that there are something like 12 camps throughout the country with 10-15 thousand prisoners in each camp. These prisoners are american citizens that were arrested because of the Patriot Act. So much for freedom, huh?

Buzzby

How about the people who die in real fires because the fire department is out chasing false alarms?

I've got news for you: most of the work the police do is of benefit to the community. Tie them up with your bullshit and they'll have less time to fight real crime.

Try thinking...