How To Spot A Drug House

Drug activity is on the rise in Paloma Creek and surrounding areas. While we could run these people out of PC, then they will potentially become our neighbors’ problem. I think that it is best if we take care of our own community by allowing the issues to take care of themselves. When I owned a construction and landscaping company, people frequently called complaining about unsightly weeds and asking for assistance. They were always surprised by what we did. While other companies would come and apply poison to kill the weeds (and the grass), I would fertilize it and water the heck out it. The stronger that the grass becomes, it eventually chokes out the weeds and they die on their own. Thus, you are left with a lawn that feels better than carpet on your feet.

There are 5,600 properties in our neighborhood. I am only one person. When you add all of the volunteers that are assigned to leadership positions, we would all have territories that would include over 550 properties. It is unrealistic to get to know that many people and their homes. If we are going to work on this, we need to do this together.

I see a lot of you venting your frustrations over crime online and I get it. I hear you. We hear you. That is why the crime watch was started. That is why I am here writing this blog.

I wish we lived in a utopian society that did not value money or possessions, eliminating poverty; however, that is not reality. One of my favorite quotes is from Ghandi. He said, “Be the change that you want to see in the world.” There are sometimes a Shelby-ism, two, or five that are thrown in with favorite quotes as well. For example, for today’s blog, it will be “Your actions are speaking so loudly, I cannot hear your words.” Then, at my first “real job”, when dinosaurs were young, a co-worker in another department figured out that I am some kind of weird accounting savant. I know. I am still shocked too. After the third round of complaining, I said, “Do you realize that if you put as much work into this as you did complaining that the issue would be solved and your work would be done?” Why don’t we apply those principals to the crime watch? Let’s get some stuff done!

Now, on to the blog….

Here is what to look for to see if you live next to a dealer, grow op, or home where they are cooking meth:

Trash

• Strange items appear in the trash in odd combinations and quantities including common household items:

  • Kitty litter

  • Methanol cans

  • Lithium batteries

  • Veterinary products

  • Large, empty bags of salt

  • Sulfuric acid

  • Paint thinner

  • Antifreeze

  • Drain cleaner

  • Brake fluid

  • Acetone

  • Any brand of cold tablets containing ephedrine or pseudoephedrine

  • Burning their trash in their backyard or fireplace

  • For every pound of meth created, six pounds of trash are produced, so watch for excess trash. They will even frequently pile trash in the garage and backyard. Then, it starts to fill up the home as well.

  • Plastic bottles with holes or tubes at the top

  • Coffee filters, bed sheets, or other discarded materials that are stained with red phosphorus (deep red chemical)

  • Evidence of dumping chemical waste - especially into the backyard or into a drainage system in the street

Smell

• Follow your nose. A cannabis crop takes about three months to produce. During the final four weeks, the plants stink.

• My husband describes the smell of smoked marijuana as dirty, wet, burning rope. I think we all know what it smells like; however, please be aware that “skunk weed” tends to take on the aroma of the way it was smuggled. If it was brought over in a hidden compartment in a gas tank, it will wreak of gas. I do not know who would want that in their lungs. There are other means to smuggle items, so I will let you use your imagination.

• There is a strong chemical odor coming from the home, garbage, or garage. Please walk away and call 911.

  • You can smell a strong chemical smell which resembles cat urine, ammonia, or rotten eggs

  • I won’t ever forget the first time I smelled a meth house that had exploded a couple of blocks away. The smell was vile and made my stomach turn. I describe it as Windex (that’s the ammonia smell), cat urine, and a bit of sulfur (similar to rotten eggs) that have burned on a stove. In the event you ever smell anything like this, note the address, walk or drive away calmly and call 911 when it is safe. NEVER smoke near a meth house.

Windows

• Growers can’t get away from the fact that internal farming requires a lot of electricity. 2,000 watts running for 12 hours (think sunshine) a day in a small bedroom looks like the surface of the sun. They may use one or a combination of the following to block light:

  • Blackout curtains

  • Foil

  • Reflective glass coating

  • Cardboard boxes

  • Plywood

  • Curtains/blinds that never open

Heat

• Those lights are hot, so they grow upstairs since heat rises. When it frosts, the roof over that area won’t ever be frosted if they have a grow op unless they use tents. Growers can use internal tents, which isolates a lot of the heat. This makes farms harder for police to spot using their infrared cameras. They are silver and kind of resemble mylar balloons.

Ventilation

• Growers need to ventilate the plants with large fans. If you see a fan in a window that is open at night and/or early mornings and sounds like the following, it is likely a grow up or your neighbor is Walter White from “Breaking Bad”:

  • Hum like a fan, swarm of bees, hovercraft, or drone

  • It sounds constant and mechanical

• There are a lot of chimneys at the property being used for ventilation purposes

• Extractor fans - especially in garages or sheds

Security

• Growers, Chemists, and Dealers operate in a paranoid world, always wondering when their door is going to get kicked in – not only by the police, but by their boss, the competition, a customer, or even their mama. There are violent criminals who make their living by stealing drugs, money, stolen goods, forgeries, exotic animals, endangered species, and trafficking people that are like pirates. For that reason, many of the “homes” adopt additional security. Extra locks and crossbars on the doors; barred or blocked windows; elaborate security systems; well-trained dogs (often stolen); safes and hiding places in plain sight, but cleverly concealed; lots of weapons; lookouts (e.g., a kid on their bike, someone in an upstairs window on a corner, Granny sipping tea on the porch); patrols; and armed reinforcements indoors.

• There are excessive “keep out” and “beware of dog” signs. They might not even have a dog.

Activity

• Not all farms are inhabited by the grower. Watch for signs that there is an actual person living there: trash out on trash day, lights come on and go off at different times, and/or you see the same person daily. Watch for automated items, since things can be easily controlled with a remote offsite.

• Increased criminal activity in the neighborhood of any kind.

• Frequent visitors during the day and night. You should also pay attention and see if many new faces keep on going to the property and making quick visits. While sometimes you see a trickle, it is also common to see things slow from early hours until after school. Then, traffic picks up from school release until the bars close at night - sometimes later.

• They may like to play a game or sport that keeps them outside. Then, they can have a “cover” to do their business.

• There is an open exchange of drugs and money. At first, you may think it is just a handshake. Pay closer attention. Do you see anything in their hands? Do two people always shake first if there is a group situation? That is unnatural. It doesn’t follow our cultural mores.

• Residents often leave the home to smoke because smoking cigarettes near meth can cause an explosion. You don’t want to smoke in a chem lab or bomb factory and there is not much difference.

• Having too many visitors

• Living a good life despite not having a job (e.g., buying expensive items)

• Frequent deliveries of plain-packaged parcels or someone will leave with an empty bag, only to return with a full one and vice versa a few minutes later

• A new tenant who is willing to pay rent months in advance, using only cash

• Leaving drug paraphernalia on/around the property (e.g., syringe, burnt spoon, small baggie, crack pipe, scale, glass or mirror with white residue)

“Odd” Neighbors

• Mid-level and up dealers are bad neighbors. Low level may be able to fly under the radar if it is only recreational use for family and friends, but if they are in the business end, you don’t want to live near them.

• Growers might be over-the-top as they attempt to overcompensate in their efforts not to annoy you or raise any suspicions.

• If they have parties, they are nice outdoor parties. They don’t want you alone, unattended in the house.

• Some will continually host parties and appear to be under the influence of drugs.

• They may seem very secretive, unfriendly, paranoid, and display odd behavior. Are they peeking back at you through the windows while you watch them for unusual activities that will prove your suspicions?

• Ability to afford items without a job (e.g., cars, TVs, cell phones)

There are many things this can stand for, but it most frequently marks the neighborhood drug house.

What Should I Do If I Suspect A Neighbor?

• NEVER approach your neighbor or confront them. You could be putting yourself in danger.

• Don’t attempt to buy anything in order to test or trick them. The police don’t need our assistance on that part.

• Don’t smoke cigarettes or have any open flames near to the suspicious property.

• Contact the LEPD and report your suspicions. If it is anything above in red, please call 911 without hesitation.

• If you are suspicious, but not ready to make allegations, please remember that this is what we pay taxes for. The police find the evidence. They don’t determine innocence or guilt. Then, the DA’s office decides whether or not to prosecute. The judge or jury adjudicates. It is only up to us to observe and report. We are not passing judgement. It is less likely there will be retaliation if we all stick together because there is safety in numbers.

• If you are still hesitant, please follow up with an Incident Report and keep it for your own records.

• After you have spoken to the police, or at any point in the process, please feel free to reach out to the member of the neighborhood crime watch that is leadership in your area. The program director and steering committee are always happy to assist you as well.

Note: Just prior to the publication of this article SWAT busted a drug house in 11-A (South PC) that has been closed down, but there is still additional work to be done.