Natomas Home Being Used For Illegal Marijuana Grow Targeted By Thieves
NATOMAS (CBS13) — It's not your usual home burglary in Natomas. Sacramento Police arrested four men Thursday morning after they allegedly broke into a home to steal marijuana plants.
Police found about 300 plants inside the home.
"Shocking yes, oh my goodness!" said neighbor Raj Singh.
Singh say's he's shocked. He lives right behind the home, where Sacramento police just uncovered a marijuana grow Thursday morning.
"So many times I see that window is closed, everything is closed," Singh said. "None of us ever saw anybody coming in or out of the house, so it was shocking."
One neighbor, who prefers to remain anonymous, says she had her suspicions. Police officers were called to the home around 4 a.m. for a burglary in progress.
Officers identified four men as the suspects. It turns out, the brand-new home was a marijuana haven with about 300 plants scattered inside.
"We have several teams focusing on marijuana grows," said Sacramento Police Department Sgt. Vance Chandler.
Chandler says marijuana grows like this are a problem across the city. That's why the department has dedicated three marijuana teams with four officers and a sergeant to tackle the issue.
In June, another home in Natomas was boarded up after officers discovered it housed a marijuana grow. Neighbors complained about a series of burglaries that took place after that home was boarded up. Chandler says the Marijuana Enforcement Team wasn't called in that case, and since then, the department has changed its policy.
"Something we took from that is hey, moving forward even if MET isn't working we want patrol to have them as a resource so they can come out," Chandler added.
"I'm glad they got rid of it we need to move forward, and get rid of the riff-raff," said Singh.
Investigators are now trying to contact the homeowner.
Officers say they found high-voltage lighting equipment being used inside, which could have caused an explosion.
Power has since been turned off to the home.