High utility bill prompts marijuana raid

[Pedro]

Here is an article from Yahoo news. The growers in Filand are pretty safe if compared to the US.

High utility bill prompts marijuana raid

CARLSBAD, Calif. (AP) -- When police noticed Dina Dagy's family was spending $250 to $300 a month on electricity, they suspected a marijuana farm was flourishing under high-intensity lights inside their suburban home.

What they found when they showed up with a drug-sniffing dog and a search warrant was a wife and mother who does several loads of laundry a day, keeps a dishwashing machine going, has three electricity-guzzling computers and three kids who can't remember to turn the lights out when they leave a room.

"It's hard to believe a high utility bill would be enough to issue a state warrant," said Dagy, who is demanding the Police Department issue a written apology.

Authorities say they have already apologized verbally several times and were only following proper procedures. Tracking down marijuana growers by reviewing electricity bills, they say, is a common practice.

"I understand they feel something isn't appropriate here, but it is very much consistent with how search warrants are prepared," said police Lt. Bill Rowland.

When authorities noticed how high the bill for the Dagy home was, they sent a police dog to the neighborhood, and it reacted as though it had smelled drugs.

They also noticed the family had put its trash out that morning, something police say drug growers often do to hide the evidence. In the Dagys' case, however, it was trash day.

When officers returned on March 19 with a search warrant, Dagy was volunteering at her son's second-grade class. She was heading back to her car when police arrived at the school, and she returned home and let them into the house.

They found nothing illegal, and she says she feels fortunate she wasn't in her son's classroom when they arrived.

"I would have been so embarrassed," she said, "and my son would have died: `They're taking your mommy away!'"

[bongimaakari]

WOW this is pretty lame u said on the tekst that They also noticed the family had put its trash out that morning, something police say drug growers often do to hide the evidence... then where would we put them i think that the whole usa goverment could go to hell

[liito-narkki]

i think that the whole usa goverment could go to hell

Don't worry. They will. As will all the other goverments of the world for their dirty deeds.

[Dumbo]

Do police in the US actually monitor electric bills? It seems like a huge waste of resources that could be used much more productively. Now I could understand if this had been brought to their attention by someone else, but actually keeping tabs on peoples' bills seems quite stupid.