FruityBud
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The arrest of three people last month with about 200 pounds of high-dollar marijuana outside Dallas W Hotel is another sign that the more potent pot continues to grow in popularity in the region.
The three were caught smuggling hydroponic marijuana in their recreational vehicle.
"People are offering to sell us 'hydro on the streets every week;" said L. Sparks, team leader of a special crimes task force in Johnson County. "Weve probably seen a 50 percent increase in the last few years. They sell it as the good stuff."
Hydroponic marijuana is grown in a nutrient-laden solution instead of soil. Technological advances have allowed cultivators to create elaborate indoor growing operations and boost the potency of tetrahydrocannabinol, the active chemical, authorities said.
Because of the increased potency, hydroponic pot sells for much more than marijuana from Mexico. A pound of hydroponic marijuana sells for between $3,000 and $5,000 depending on the quality. A pound of average marijuana from Mexico goes for $300 to $500.
Authorities say the marijuana seized outside the W could be worth about $1 million.
Growers in North Texas have turned homes in middle-class neighborhoods into hidden gardens with plants growing in every room, even the attic. Last year in Red Oak, authorities found more than 150 growing plants behind a bookcase that hid a secret door.
"Sometimes, the only way to know from the outside is that the windows are blacked out," said Herschel Tebay, commander of the Tarrant County Narcotics Division. "It is very hard to detect."
Locally grown
Information gleaned during an investigation led officers to the green-and-tan Winnebago outside the W Hotel, authorities said. Inside, officers found hidden in a tea bag the key to a secure compartment. Inside that and elsewhere in the motor home they found large zipper-style bags filled with marijuana.
The motor homes occupants, a man, 30, and two women, 28 and 29, were allegedly paid $5,000 each to transport the marijuana to the region from California, said Capt. Jeff Wawro of the Denton County Sheriffs Department.
"It was about three to five times stronger than your average street marijuana," Wawro said.
Hydroponic marijuana smuggled into North Texas often comes from California, where it is produced under the guise of being made for medical purposes, he said. But authorities said much of product found around Tarrant County appears to have been grown locally.
The reason is that, unlike Mexican street weed, hydroponic marijuana and the equipment mean high overhead costs for the grower, said Lt. Robert Rangel of the Fort Worth police narcotics division.
"Once you add in the transportation costs, it can really get expensive," Rangel said. "Theyre already asking a high price for it, so its generally harder for them to make as much money if theyre shipping it long distances."
Difficult to catch
The Tarrant County Narcotics Division gets about five "good-sized" indoor growing operations a year, Tebay said.
The systems are elaborate: carefully designed irrigation, carbon dioxide exchange, ventilation, lighting, automatic timers. Some growers will spend $20,000 on equipment.
"Once they get everything set up, it just takes a little pruning," he said.
Most growers are highly organized, keeping detailed notes on what days to use what nutrients. They tend to be better educated than the typical grower because there is a science to the process, Rangel said.
In fact, their lifestyle, and that of their customers, makes them difficult to catch, he said. Unlike a crack house, neighbors will not likely see strung-out addicts hanging around. They are less likely to grow suspicious and call police, which is how investigators often learn about drug activity.
One of the largest hydroponic grows that Johnson County officers have found 600 plants was in 2007 in Burleson. Officers smelled the marijuana as they approached, but neighbors were shocked to learn what the homeowner was growing.
"It is a much more expensive customer base; they arent like your typical meth or heroin user," Rangel said. "The users wear nice clothes and drive fancier cars. And most growers arent going to sell it out of the house anyway. They dont want customers to know where their grow spot is. Thats why it is hard to find."
hxxp://tinyurl.com/d5mfvc
The three were caught smuggling hydroponic marijuana in their recreational vehicle.
"People are offering to sell us 'hydro on the streets every week;" said L. Sparks, team leader of a special crimes task force in Johnson County. "Weve probably seen a 50 percent increase in the last few years. They sell it as the good stuff."
Hydroponic marijuana is grown in a nutrient-laden solution instead of soil. Technological advances have allowed cultivators to create elaborate indoor growing operations and boost the potency of tetrahydrocannabinol, the active chemical, authorities said.
Because of the increased potency, hydroponic pot sells for much more than marijuana from Mexico. A pound of hydroponic marijuana sells for between $3,000 and $5,000 depending on the quality. A pound of average marijuana from Mexico goes for $300 to $500.
Authorities say the marijuana seized outside the W could be worth about $1 million.
Growers in North Texas have turned homes in middle-class neighborhoods into hidden gardens with plants growing in every room, even the attic. Last year in Red Oak, authorities found more than 150 growing plants behind a bookcase that hid a secret door.
"Sometimes, the only way to know from the outside is that the windows are blacked out," said Herschel Tebay, commander of the Tarrant County Narcotics Division. "It is very hard to detect."
Locally grown
Information gleaned during an investigation led officers to the green-and-tan Winnebago outside the W Hotel, authorities said. Inside, officers found hidden in a tea bag the key to a secure compartment. Inside that and elsewhere in the motor home they found large zipper-style bags filled with marijuana.
The motor homes occupants, a man, 30, and two women, 28 and 29, were allegedly paid $5,000 each to transport the marijuana to the region from California, said Capt. Jeff Wawro of the Denton County Sheriffs Department.
"It was about three to five times stronger than your average street marijuana," Wawro said.
Hydroponic marijuana smuggled into North Texas often comes from California, where it is produced under the guise of being made for medical purposes, he said. But authorities said much of product found around Tarrant County appears to have been grown locally.
The reason is that, unlike Mexican street weed, hydroponic marijuana and the equipment mean high overhead costs for the grower, said Lt. Robert Rangel of the Fort Worth police narcotics division.
"Once you add in the transportation costs, it can really get expensive," Rangel said. "Theyre already asking a high price for it, so its generally harder for them to make as much money if theyre shipping it long distances."
Difficult to catch
The Tarrant County Narcotics Division gets about five "good-sized" indoor growing operations a year, Tebay said.
The systems are elaborate: carefully designed irrigation, carbon dioxide exchange, ventilation, lighting, automatic timers. Some growers will spend $20,000 on equipment.
"Once they get everything set up, it just takes a little pruning," he said.
Most growers are highly organized, keeping detailed notes on what days to use what nutrients. They tend to be better educated than the typical grower because there is a science to the process, Rangel said.
In fact, their lifestyle, and that of their customers, makes them difficult to catch, he said. Unlike a crack house, neighbors will not likely see strung-out addicts hanging around. They are less likely to grow suspicious and call police, which is how investigators often learn about drug activity.
One of the largest hydroponic grows that Johnson County officers have found 600 plants was in 2007 in Burleson. Officers smelled the marijuana as they approached, but neighbors were shocked to learn what the homeowner was growing.
"It is a much more expensive customer base; they arent like your typical meth or heroin user," Rangel said. "The users wear nice clothes and drive fancier cars. And most growers arent going to sell it out of the house anyway. They dont want customers to know where their grow spot is. Thats why it is hard to find."
hxxp://tinyurl.com/d5mfvc
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