NEW YORK (1010 WINS) — A 911 call reporting a dispute in Brooklyn on Friday night led to the discovery of an illegal cannabis grow house operating across the street from a day care center, resulting in the New York City Sheriff’s Office seizing about 90 plants and 100 pounds of pot.
The grow house was found on Exeter Street in Manhattan Beach after police received a call reporting a family dispute last week, and after investigation, Sheriff Anthony Miranda said that law enforcement found a full-fledged operation.
“It's clear that this is for a distribution hub and a grow house,” Miranda said. “They are growing the plants from birth to larger plants. They are packaging, this is their own company stuff, and they are sealing all this on site and distributing it from this location.”
Miranda said that the equipment needed to run the grow house and distribution center could have been unsafe, which prompted officials to call in the FDNY and emergency service to “render the location safe.”
One person was arrested but the investigation is ongoing, authorities said.
According to Miranda, cleaning up unauthorized cannabis operations is a community-driven effort, and raising people’s awareness about the signs of illegal activity could help get them shut down.
“Most neighbors would notice the kind of activity, and if you don’t, that’s why we’re really working in partnership with the community,” he said. “Is there information that leads to the discovery of these grow houses, these illegal distribution points?”
Cannabis is legal in New York State, but laws limit the amount a person can grow and sellers must always obtain a retail license.