POT HOUSES LINKED TO GANGS, MARIJUANA DISPENSARIES

Houses used solely to grow marijuana have been springing up around the
San Gabriel Valley and investigators said they're supplying the drug
to pot dispensaries.

Since 2004 the number of indoor grows seized by authorities has
doubled statewide as the number of marijuana dispensaries has shot up
exponentially. While the dispensaries were originally set up as
collectives for sick people to get medicinal marijuana, most now
simply deal drugs illegally, detectives said.

Many of the dispensaries and grow houses have ties to organized crime
and sell to street dealers as well, detectives said.

"Most of the dispensaries are getting pot from these indoor grows,"
said L.A. County Sheriff's Detective David Mertens, who specializes in
narcotics investigations. "It's not just the dispensaries they're
growing for. They're also selling to street dealers."

Statewide, grow-house investigations increased from 428 in 2004 to 850
in 2009, according to the Drug Enforcement Administration.

A house fire this week led authorities to an indoor grow at 1939
Potrero Grande in South San Gabriel. The entire house was used for
cultivating an estimated 1,000 marijuana plants.

Detectives said the operation was linked to Asian gangs. No arrests
have been made.

In early August, Glendora police raided a Pomona residence that had
been used to repackage and distribute marijuana for sale, but made no
arrests.

In May, El Monte police seized more than 1,000 plants from two homes
in Valinda and El Monte. Four men of Asian descent from Temple City,
San Gabriel, Baldwin Park and El Monte were arrested in connection
with the raids.

Investigators said each operation is different. Some are run by
individuals who invest in the plants to make money. Most are tied to
organized crime at some level, said L.A. County Sheriff's Detective
Tom Yu, who specializes in Asian gangs.

"Each grow has its own network," he said. "It's not just gang A to
gang B, it's gang A to gang Z."

Situations are fluid because "they don't care who they sell the dope
to - they just want to make money," Yu said.

Marijuana production and sales is big business. Equipment to set up a
grow house can cost $120 for a single 1,000-watt light bulb, or more.
Everything from air vents and electric ballasts to fertilizer and pots
can be purchased in the open at hydroponics stores.

"(The equipment) is not illegal to sell," Mertens said.

It costs about $100,000 to start an indoor cultivation, but the
profits can be huge, said Jameson Pon, a well-known gang investigator
for the San Francisco police.

"Every three to four months (the plants) get cultivated. So if you do
like three grows a year you can probably make about a million bucks,
tax free," Pon said.

Grow houses are often rented out and the owners are usually involved,
authorities said. Often they're paid to look the other way. Workers,
most of whom are not gang members, are paid to monitor the plants.

The homes can create fire hazards because they use enormous amounts of
power for lighting, humidity and temperature control, officials said.

Operators wire the homes to bypass Southern California Edison meters,
stealing hundreds of thousands of dollars-worth of
electricity.

"In some cases they bypass even the house wiring and lay down their
own wiring," said Steve Conroy, a spokesman for Edison. "It does
create safety problems in a big way."

The house on Potrero Grande caught fire Tuesday morning due to the
improvised wiring.

The grow houses also play a role in day-to-day violence, investigators
said.

"Violent crimes normally stem from bad narcotics deals," Yu said.
"It's a very vicious circle that they are involved in."