Elk Grove and Natomas aren't the only neighborhoods targeted anymore for indoor pot farm growing operations. Seems the pot growers are expanding into other Sacramento neighborhoods and upgrading their pot farm operations.
I last wrote about Sacramento's indoor pot farms in September of 2006 and the Elk Grove pot house busts in September of 2007. But it ain't over yet.
Police arrested six suspects Tuesday and raided several homes. The police say the growers probably learned the hard way that neighbors in Sacramento and Elk Grove will report suspicious activity if the homes have boarded-up windows or black curtains over them. So the growers moved their operations instead into three-level homes, making sure the upper floors appeared occupied, and set up their pot farms in the lower level.
According to the Sacramento Bee, the arrests and pot busts involved homes in Sacramento, El Dorado Hills, Lincoln, Elk Grove, Cameron Park and Placerville.
A special agent who heads the Sacramento office of the U. S. Drug Enforcement Administration said indoor pot growers could potentially harvest 2,000 pounds of pot a year and, selling at $4,000 a pound, the illegal operation could produce an annual income of $8 million. That's astounding.
Think of the good old days for a minute. Isn't a pound 16 ounces? So, here's a math question you won't hear asked in grade school: If each ounce of pot sells for $10, how much is a pound of pot worth? Answer: $160. Not that I have any first-hand knowledge, mind you; I grew up in the 1960s, which means I can plead the Fifth. I'm just saying that inflation has certainly pumped up the price of a pound of pot, from $160 to $4,000. That means an ounce of pot has jumped from $10 to $250. I'm way out of touch with this world, I suppose.
$4,000 is more than most real estate agents make on a $150,000 bank-owned sale these days. Of course, I'm not suggesting that real estate agents bail out of the lucrative real estate business and become criminals or that any agents have switched professions. This comparison is simply for illustration purposes, so you agents who are reading this, don't send me hate mail. If you do, remember, I know how to contact the special agent of Sacramento's DEA.
Photo: Big Stock Photo
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Certified HAFA Specialist
My Sacramento Real Estate Listings
Elizabeth Weintraub is an author, home buying columnist for The New York Times-owned About.com, a Land Park resident, and a Land Park real estate agent who specializes in older, classic homes in Land Park, Curtis Park, Midtown and East Sacramento. Weintraub is also a Sacramento Short Sale agent who lists and successfully sells short sales throughout the four-county Sacramento area. Call Elizabeth Weintraub at 916.233.6759. Put 35 years of real estate experience to work for you. Broker-Associate at Lyon Real Estate. DRE License # 00697006.
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