cannabisnews.com: Pot Grower Pulls Vanishing Act in Tunnels Pot Grower Pulls Vanishing Act in Tunnels Posted by FoM on January 24, 2002 at 18:24:11 PT By Diana Marrero, Miami Bureau Source: Sun Sentinel Neighbors shake their heads in wonder. People down the street walk by to see the home, gaining a reputation in the historic Roads neighborhood of Miami as the site of a mysterious disappearance.All police know is they can't find the man they suspect of running an elaborate hydroponics marijuana lab who went inside the home Tuesday and then vanished. Miami police detectives say the man could still be hunkered down somewhere in the two-story duplex. But, more likely, he escaped through a maze of shallow underground tunnels.Police have tear-gassed the property, at 655 SW 19th Rd., but the man has not come out. They tried to send in a police dog but he could not fit through the tunnels, no more than two feet deep. Police officers were sent in, but have been unable to follow where the maze might lead."We may well have a tunnel that leads two blocks down," said Officer Herminia Salas-Jacobson.What they have found so far is 122 marijuana plants worth $300,000 on the streets and an intricate system used in growing the lucrative plant.Several rooms in the first floor were set up for cultivation in water, then drying, Salas-Jacobson said. Police found ladders in the closets leading to the second floor and a generator, probably used so the amount of electricity used on the property would go unnoticed, she said."It's quite interesting," said Salas-Jacobson, who said it's the most elaborate pot house she has encountered.Detectives working in the area were told of a funny smell coming from the home and tried to approach a man who was coming out of there Tuesday when the man went back inside and disappeared."He was very nervous and pushed one of the officers," Salas-Jacobson said.An officer followed the man inside, but lost him when he went upstairs to a second floor and disappeared. Police surrounded the home and asked the SWAT team to come out, thinking the man was hiding.They have yet to find him.In a neighborhood favored by Miami's elite and influential, neighbors wondered how they could have lived so close to a marijuana lab without a clue about what was going on inside.Police would not release the names of the people who own the home, saying they're not sure about the identity of the person they are looking for or whether he may have rented the home. County property records list the owners as Elvia and Jeannette Meza, but indicate that they may rent it out. They could not be reached for comment."I never would have though that there would be such a thing right next door," said Isabel Fiallo. "This is like a movie. I'd like to know how they made those tunnels."She said she saw four men coming in and out of the house at strange hours, but thought their work schedules varied. When she saw them with what looked like medical gowns, she figured they might have worked in a hospital, she said. Fiallo said she occasionally waved at her neighbors, but never really spoke with them."No one would have imagined this," she said.Carmen Lombana said she didn't know what to think when she saw a SWAT team descend on her neighborhood, climbing on people's cars and rooftops."It's usually very quiet around here," she said.Complete Title: Pot Grower Pulls Vanishing Act in Tunnels at Miami HomeSource: South Florida Sun Sentinel (FL)Author: Diana Marrero, Miami BureauPublished: January 24, 2002Copyright: 2002 Sun-Sentinel Co & South Florida Interactive, Inc.Contact: letters sun-sentinel.comWebsite: http://www.sun-sentinel.comCannabisNews - Cannabis Archiveshttp://cannabisnews.com/news/list/cannabis.shtml Home Comment Email Register Recent Comments Help Comment #11 posted by Justice4Justin on June 17, 2002 at 13:08:41 PT Justice4Justin Justin wolfe now has a website for people on his side please visit and support him http://www.Justice4Justin.com [ Post Comment ] Comment #10 posted by Charlene on January 31, 2002 at 16:02:11 PT: What do you think? What do you think they do with all the weed that they catch people with, just let it sit there? i sure as hell hope not! [ Post Comment ] Comment #9 posted by Charlene on January 31, 2002 at 15:59:18 PT: Whats Wrong with These People?!?!?!?! Well my name is Charlene Hoffay I live in Alaska. I don't really like our Government! They all suck they let the main killers like Cigarretts and Alcohol be legal when you can get lung cancer from cigarretts and you can get a kidney infection from drinking. All pot does is keep you calm not hurting anyone and it can be used for medicinal purposes! I bet you anything that our government and our police stations are just as guilty for doing things that we don't know about! I bet you that they are just as enough pot smokers and drinkers! but you know i could be wrong. They're just to busy trying to bust people that don't even hurt anyone when there are people out there getting killed!! I really think our government needs to get the stick out of their ass! [ Post Comment ] Comment #8 posted by Xanaralk on January 25, 2002 at 07:37:04 PT The cops are too fat ! These lazy facist dogs are way too stuffed with donuts to pass in the tunnels ... It's not surprising they are afraid to go catch real criminals and prefer to go after gardeners and pot smokers with their machine gun drawn ... [ Post Comment ] Comment #7 posted by Morgan on January 25, 2002 at 07:16:17 PT Moleman GO MOLEMAN, GO! [ Post Comment ] Comment #6 posted by boppy on January 25, 2002 at 05:45:40 PT $300,000.00???? One thing about stories like this is that the price of cannabis is always overstated. Let's see...$300,000 divided by 122 is $2459.00 per plant. We'll say each plant yields 3 oz. $2459.00 divided by 3 is $819.67. When was the last time that you paid $800 for an ounce? Brother! [ Post Comment ] Comment #5 posted by Dr Ganj on January 24, 2002 at 22:06:18 PT More Wasted Police Time "In a neighborhood favored by Miami's elite and influential, neighbors wondered how they could have lived so close to a marijuana lab without a clue about what was going on inside."Now they're using the term "marijuana lab" to cause the reader to associate "meth lab" or "drug lab" with marijuana. Yeah, right. What a desperate attempt to deceive the public. Sorry, but we're not that gullible. We all know marijuana is a beneficial herb, and articles like these are written by pathetic cretins who should be cleaning urinals.Dr. Ganj http://www.maps.org [ Post Comment ] Comment #4 posted by FoM on January 24, 2002 at 21:57:09 PT More on the Miami Article Suspects Elude Pot House SearchNeighbors had no idea what was going on By Tere Figueras Published Thursday, January 24, 2002 Looking out on her usually quiet street in the Roads section of Miami, Isabel Fiallo shakes her head at the swarm of plainclothes detectives, police officers and gawkers crowded just outside her front gates. ``On one side of my house lives a Catholic priest,'' she said, solemnly puffing a Marlboro on her front porch. ``On the other side, narcotraficantes.'' Drug dealers. http://www.miami.com/herald/content/news/local/dade/digdocs/026659.htm [ Post Comment ] Comment #3 posted by FoM on January 24, 2002 at 21:53:06 PT Here's an Article from The Washington Post I read this article but it isn't about marijuana, it's about murder so I didn't feel I wanted to post it directly but it is worth reading so here it is.Jury Seeks Death for Drug Dealer Va. Judge to Decide Sentence in Killing By Josh White, Washington Post Staff Writer Friday, January 25, 2002; Page B01 A Prince William County jury recommended yesterday that 20-year-old drug dealer Justin Michael Wolfe be executed for hiring a high school friend to assassinate his marijuana distributor, a verdict that prosecutors said sends a message to young people that drugs destroy lives. Now, Circuit Court Chief Judge Herman A. Whisenant Jr. must decide whether to impose the death penalty or reduce Wolfe's sentence to life in prison without the possibility of parole -- an issue the jury mulled for more than five hours yesterday. Jurors also sentenced Wolfe to the maximum 30 years in prison for conspiring to sell drugs. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A35216-2002Jan24.html [ Post Comment ] Comment #2 posted by JR Bob Dobbs on January 24, 2002 at 21:52:00 PT Self-fulfilling prophecy >>"It's quite interesting," said Salas-Jacobson, who said it's the most elaborate pot house she has encountered. Funny, the more she looks, the more elaborate they become... [ Post Comment ] Comment #1 posted by legalizeit on January 24, 2002 at 20:48:37 PT What a waste! Wow, what an entourage - police, SWAT, police dog, tear gas -- looking for a gardener!!While the real criminals do their crimes elsewhere.For shame. [ Post Comment ] Post Comment