 |
| Photo by Edward Sifuentes |
Police were called to the complex when someone reported a break-in at about 7 a.m., Lt. Craig Carter said. Officers found broken glass outside one of the units of the complex at 1291 Pacific Oaks Place in western Escondido.
"I guess there is no honor among marijuana dealers," the lieutenant said.
Along with the broken glass, police found bits of marijuana plants and leaves on the ground outside the building. Inside, they found an operation estimated to have housed more than 300 plants, including about 260 mature plants that apparently were uprooted and taken, Carter said.
An additional 70 smaller plants were left behind. The marijuana was estimated to be worth nearly $800,000.
Mike Morris, who runs a decorative stone business next door, said he and others in the complex were not surprised.
"The place smelled like weed," Morris said.
Morris, who has been in the complex for about six months, said the operators were generally good neighbors.
"They didn't cause any disturbances," Morris said.
Authorities were trying to determine who rented the suite, Carter said. He said he did not know whether the operation was a medical marijuana establishment.
The case was turned over to the federal Drug Enforcement Administration, Carter said.
Authorities have seized nearly 380,000 marijuana plants so far this year from illegal indoor and outdoor grows in San Diego County, law enforcement officials said two weeks ago.
More than 84,000 plants were seized from private land and more than 120,000 plants were taken from U.S. Forestry Service land, according to the San Diego County Integrated Narcotics Task Force.
Anyone with information is asked to call the Escondido Police Department's tip line at 760-743-8477.
Source: North County Times
Posts
