ACTIVITY TIED TO ASIAN CRIME RING

Seven Grow Houses Now Busted

Deputies cracked an Asian crime ring this week, busting seven
marijuana grow houses in San Bernardino and Los Angeles counties in three days.

About 1,162 mature plants and 30 pounds of pot worth $4.2 million
were recovered Wednesday from two upscale houses a block away from
each other in the classy Hesperia Golf Club neighborhood.

Two grow houses in Apple Valley, two in Rosemead, and one in Alhambra
have also been busted since Monday.

"All the cases are related to Asian organized crime," said Arden
Wiltshire, spokeswoman for the San Bernardino County Sheriff's
Department. "This group is responsible for purchasing the marijuana,
growing and distribution."

No details were offered about the crime ring but two Rosemead
residents have been arrested. Ricky Wu, 51, was Advertisementarrested
for cultivating marijuana. Phuong Que Luu, a 41-year-old waitress,
was arrested during the raid for possession of marijuana.

An SKS assault rifle, handgun and about $6,000 in cash were recovered
during that bust.

No other arrests have been made.

Evidence of Asian origins have been found in all the homes. A
two-story grow house on Buckthorn Street had Asian karaoke tapes,
Asian food and hand-labeled CDs in Asian writing strewn about the
living room and kitchen Wednesday.

Deputies stumbled across this house after making an early-morning
bust at a house on Bangor Street, where they found about 900
marijuana plants in early grow stages.

Both pot farms used a soil-based system to grow the buds. One of the
Apple Valley houses used a hydroponic system.

The seven houses used to cultivate marijuana were bought, not rented,
Wiltshire said. Investigators are still looking into who purchased
the properties.

"We focused in the High Desert this week because we don't want to
have this activity going on here," said sheriff's spokeswoman Roxanne
Walker. "We want to protect the community."

She said it is common for pot farms to infiltrate suburban
neighborhoods because it draws less attention to the illegal operation.

But the house on Buckthorn Street offered some clue as to what was
going on inside. All the windows were shuttered or covered with
plastic; the yard was full of weeds in an area with manicured lawns;
neighbors rarely saw people come or go.

Someone lived in the home part time, Wiltshire said.

Shoes sat at the door, dishes in the dishwasher were waiting to be
put away, and an air mattress sat before the fireplace.

Nobody was home when deputies arrived but narcotics officers vowed to find them.