BUSTED INDOOR POT FARM IS ALABAMA'S LARGEST

Elaborate Dirt-Free Operation Based in Kingston Warehouse

Authorities say the largest indoor marijuana growing operation in the
state's history was quietly thriving in a warehouse in a northeast
Birmingham industrial pocket, operating covertly and producing
top-grade pot that sells for four times the price of traditionally
grown marijuana.

After a two-month investigation, Jefferson County sheriff's deputies
raided the Kingston warehouse Thursday night, busting up a
sophisticated hydroponic system in which plants are grown in water,
without dirt.

The system uses intense heat lamps to simulate sunlight and is
capable of producing a million dollars of marijuana each year.

Two men, one a suspended Birmingham lawyer, were arrested and charged
with drug trafficking. Authorities also seized more than 500
marijuana plants and $75,000.

"We believe it has been in operation as long as 2005," said sheriff's
spokesman Lt. Randy Christian. "We talked with the DEA and they have
never seen one approaching this size in Alabama."

Authorities say [redacted] were renting the warehouse from a man who
was under the impression they were using it as storage for a discount store.

The inside looked like anything but a makeshift storage unit. It was
a pot-lover's paradise.

At least $65,000 worth of pot was hanging from strings in drying
rooms, authorities said. Mother plants, which yielded the seedlings
for the operation, were kept secluded in a separate room.

The warehouse was equipped with a timer system that switched back and
forth to produce sunlight or to imitate the darkness of night.

While it appeared some of the plants were in dirt, they weren't. The
plants sat in Hydroton, clay pellets that held the plants up.

'Close the Door':

Drug and tactical deputies raided the warehouse about 7 p.m. Thursday.

"It was almost surreal, like walking into a greenhouse that only
sells one plant but a lot of them. From room to room the plants
progressed from a sapling to a full-grown plant with a different
system of care in each room," Christian said.

"There was a sophisticated watering, temperature and light system
throughout the rooms and some rooms had notepads hanging up with
specific care instructions. There was one sign that said, 'Close the
door or the devil will get you.' It should have said, 'Close the door
or the deputies will get you,' because we did," Christian said.

Drug investigators developed information on the operation about two
months ago and have had the operation under surveillance, finally
getting enough evidence for Thursday's search warrant.

[redacted].

[redacted] is charged with trafficking marijuana and is being held in
the county jail on $1 million bond.

[redacted] is charged with marijuana and cocaine trafficking. His
bond is set at $2 million.

Authorities said they will begin the investigation into the money
trail, and seize any assets believed to be purchased with profits
from the operation.

Time-Consuming:

Hydroponics is the preferred method of growing marijuana to make the
drug more potent, which generates more money for the drug dealers,
authorities said. The product sells for $4,500 per pound versus the
normal $1,000 per pound.

"We don't see much of it, because it's very time-consuming to keep it
running and it's very complex and requires constant and consistent
maintenance," Christian said.

Nationwide, hydroponic marijuana has increased in popularity and
become an organized criminal enterprise, bringing with it noticeable
increases in violent crimes such as home invasions, armed robberies,
arsons and homicides, authorities said.

Sheriff Mike Hale said he didn't initially appreciate the magnitude
of what his drug investigators were uncovering.

"It would be impressive if it was a legitimate business," he said.

Thursday's bust is another example of the department's focus on
eradicating illegal drugs from the community. Marijuana, Hale said,
is a gateway drug that leads to more violent crime.

"We have had enough of that here."