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How To Spot a Marijuana Grow-Op
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- Residents only attend the home occasionally for short periods of time
- Equipment such as large fans, lights, plastic plant containers and soil are carried into the house at odd hours
- Entry is often made into the home using only the garage door to conceal activities
- Garbage containing used soil and plant material is discarded in surrounding areas
- Windows are covered to prevent light from entering the home and to conceal activity
- Bright light can be seen escaping from windows and windows are often covered in condensation
- Hydro meters are tampered with
- Sounds of construction and ventilation fans can sometimes be heard
- The growing marijuana produces a strong skunk-like odour that can be detected outside the home
Winnipeg Police Service
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Grow Ops also pose a threat to public safety due to:
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- Fire hazards - exposed live wires and high-intensity light bulbs. The extra exhaust fans used in grow
ops can cause a house to go up in flames very quickly endangering surrounding homes.
- Structural damage to homes - Homes may be altered for the purposes of growing marijuana; structural
walls may be removed with the possible consequence of the house collapsing. High levels of
humidity lead to condensation buildup causing the growth of unhealthy mold and fungus.
- Electrocutions - Electrical system rewiring by the operators poses a severe threat to those working
on it, as well as to residents and emergency responders.
- Environmental damage - hazardous chemicals like fungicides and pesticides are disposed of down
the household drains into our water systems.
- Power outages - Overloading the electrical system can cause transformers to blow resulting in
power outages in entire neighborhoods and costly replacements.
- Higher Costs to Utilities - Because indoor grow ops require massive amounts of electricity which
can lead to detection, growers usually steal the power.
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