Oakland Police Sniff Out Huge Pot Farm

Oakland Police Sniff Out Huge Pot Farm

POSTED: 7:56 am PDT April 3, 2008
UPDATED: 9:06 am PDT April 3, 2008


OAKLAND, Calif. -- The pungent smell of growing marijuana captured the attention of an Oakland police officer as he drove through a warehouse district, leading to the bust late Wednesday night of one of the largest and most elaborate indoor pot farms ever uncovered in the East Bay city.

Oakland police Sgt. Erv Romans said authorities had been alerted to the presence of a pot farm in an industrial neighborhood by a police officer who was in the area and smelled the pot plants. After weeks of undercover surveillance work, investigators were drawn to a warehouse that once housed the Flores Body Shop at 945 E. 11th St.

When officers served the warrant Wednesday night, they uncovered an enormous farm containing nearly 2100 plants in various stages of growth.

"It was an elaborate system," Romans said. "They had different rooms set up with plants in different stages of growth. They had one room with new plants… another room of plants with intermediate growth and two rooms filled with budding plants."

The plants were arranged in carefully manicured rows with a sophisticated fertilizing and watering system and grow lights rewired so that there needs could not be detected by a meter reader.

Romans said one suspect was taken into custody and other arrests may be pending.

It took Oakland police officers to all night to carefully remove the plants.
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