WEST OAKLAND HOME SITE OF POT BUST

Alleged Grower Used Intricate System

OAKLAND -- Apparent telephone troubles on Monday afternoon led to the
seizure of more than 500 marijuana plants inside a West Oakland Victorian
that the resident had turned Into a sophisticated greenhouse, police said.

Police placed the potential value of the marijuana, which ranged from
seedlings `just a few inches high to mature plants several feet tall, at
tens of thousands of dollars. It was one of the largest single seizures of
marijuana in Oakland in recent memory, police said.

The alleged grower, Gregory Kupsch, 22, who has lived in the house on the
1700 block of Eighth Street since March, was arrested for investigation of
cultiva-. tion of marijuana and possession of marijuana for sale. He was
being held at the Oakland City Jail in lieu of $20,000 bail. Police said he
told them he was raising the marijuana to sell and was not using it for
medicinal purposes.

Community policing officers Steve Clilari and Anthony Toriblo went to the
house about 1 p.m. after a 911 call was made to the communications center
from the home. There was extreme static on the line and dispatchers got the
same interference when they tried to call back. A regular telephone
operator got the same response trying to check the line, police said.

The two officers were sent to the home to make sure everything was all
right there. They found Kupsch in the front yard and he said he had been
having phone problems. When the officers asked him if they could make sure
everything was all right inside the house, he gave them permission to check.

As soon as they did, they were hit by the strong odor of marijuana plants,
police said. Kupsch eventually agreed to take officers on a tour of the
home while explaining to them details of his operation, Sgt. Dave Kozickl
said.

Kupsch, originally from New Jersey, allegedly told police all of the plants
were the result of one "mother plant." He showed officers how he would cut
off a branch of one plant, soak it in nutrients and replant it.

"He was very proud of his plants. He treated them like they were his
children," Officer Rand Monda said. The rooms contained sophisticated
irrigation, lighting and ventilation equipment. The plants were in troughs
that, utilizing timers, had water and nutrients pumped in and out every six
hours, police said.

Kupsch allegedly told police it took a plant six months to reach maturity
and that he had a crop he was about to sell for $10,000. He allegedly said
that during his during his time in the house he had lost one crop to spider
mites.

Surprised neighbors told police they had no idea what was going on inside
the house. The investigation is continuing.