Norco Pot Farm Raided

DEPUTIES SEIZE MARIJUANA WORTH MORE THAN $8.5 MILLION

NORCO - The real value of the house on Mount Shasta Drive was inside.

Sheriff's deputies early Friday morning found 1,447 marijuana plans
there with an estimated street value of more than $8.5 million.

It's seemingly become a trend over the past couple of months, yet
another million-dollar marijuana grow house found in a quiet
residential neighborhood.

[redacted] were arrested on suspicion of cultivating marijuana and
other drug-related charges at their residence in the [redacted] of
Mount Shasta, investigators said.

Riverside County Sheriff's Department investigator Jerry Franchville
said he did not know if the duo were connected to Asian organized
crime, which has been linked to other million-dollar marijuana busts
in the Inland Valley.

But an investigation into whether any of these high-profile busts are
connected is ongoing, he said.

Norco real-estate agent Christopher Paul represented the sellers of
the 2,400-square-foot home belonging to [redacted].

"They were not typical Norco buyers - this is Horsetown USA," Paul
said. "These guys came in wearing sports coats and driving a nice car."

The duo also spoke no English, but their agent was bilingual, Paul added.

"I assumed they were speculators," Paul said.

The two purchased the two-year-old home a few days before Christmas
for $720,000 and closed escrow in January, Paul said.

Franchville said an anonymous tip led to the bust. The West County
Narcotics Task Force and the Jurupa Valley Gang Task Force got a
search warrant for the house at 2 a.m. Friday.

Franchville said the home was remade into a nursery to cultivate
marijuana, and all rooms except one were used to nurture the pot in
different growth stages.

"In my 8 1/2 years in the department, it's the largest (bust) I've
seen," Franchville said.

The marijuana-cultivation system inside the home included 70
1,000-watt sunlamps, more than 200 gallons of liquid fertilizer, 35
wall fans, 12 industrial-sized air purifiers and 70 power box converters.

A drip irrigation and water-recycling system was also installed in
the house, deputies said.

More than $17,000 worth of electricity was stolen over a three-month
period, deputies said.

Some neighbors were shocked at learning of the arrests.

"The house was that close, and we didn't even know it," said Norma
Faucett, 74, who was doing yard work several houses away.

Other neighbors were unsure if the house was inhabited because they
never saw people go inside or leave.

"As far as we knew, the house was vacant," said Phil Allison, 41, who
lives just up the street.

Chester Nawrocki, 65, a retiree who has lived in the neighborhood for
more than three decades, remembered seeing the vehicle traffic.

"A lot of people were driving by," Nawrocki said. "I never noticed
anyone at the property during the day."

Paul described the area as a quiet street and nice neighborhood.

"I would have never guessed," Paul said about the drug bust.

[redacted] were booked into Robert Presley Detention Center.

Their bail amounts were $500,000 each, according to the Sheriff's
Department's Web site.

The men are set to appear in Riverside Superior Court on Tuesday, the
Web site said.

Anyone with information can call the Sheriff's Department's WeTip
lines at (800) 472-7766 or (951) 955-6384.