Police in Los Angeles stumbled across an underground drug lab in Granada Hills. They were there because of an illegal above ground pot farm. What they found was “elaborate,” they relate. They seem to be all the rage these days.
Underground drug lab
The Los Angeles Police Department announced on Wednesday, December 21, that they discovered “an elaborate underground illicit drug lab” in Granada Hills, California.
They took some photos of the floor hatch. Under the lid, a ladder descends into the hidden bunker.
Once they got a chance to inventory what they found, the underground room had been well stocked with “ecstasy, date rape drugs, hash oil and mushrooms.”
LAPD made a large drug bust in in Granada Hills when they located an underground drug lab. Two suspects were taken into custody around 11:00am; said to be a male and a female connected with the sale and , distribution of various drugs
Fentanyl and Methamphetamine were also found. pic.twitter.com/54s6Wx3HGn— Traffic News Los Angeles (@TrafficNewsLA) December 22, 2022
Along with a few other goodies. Initial reports from CBS don’t specify if anyone was arrested.
ABC writes that two people were indeed arrested. “A man and a woman.” They also inform that officers “made the discovery Wednesday night at the home in the 16000 block of Hiawatha Street.”
That’s when “multiple law enforcement agencies responded, including the LAPD and the Department of Justice.” They were “responding” to an illicit cannabis grow operation when they found the underground chamber.
Neighbors were suspicious
It seems that local residents dropped a dime on the growers. Neighbors told reporters that there was suspicious activity at the house since the new occupants moved in.
“When police first arrived, they saw a marijuana growing operation so they returned with a search warrant and discovered the underground operation.”
In the neighboring state of Arizona, a similar underground bunker stashed full of drugs and guns was found.
Breaking news in Granada Hills… #air7HD over the scene of an elaborate drug lab discovered under a home in a residential cul-de-sac. LAPD also providing up close images…. @ABC7 https://t.co/ko0HA2zvLk pic.twitter.com/y6H9cp7fM6
— Gabe Santos (@abc7gabe) December 22, 2022
That one was even more elaborate. While the California bunker was a single room, the Arizona one was tri-level.
Power company Arizona Public Service was convinced that someone was tapping into one of their junction boxes for free electricity. Once they got there and started following power cables around, they came to the conclusion that 61-year-old Laura Swink and her 35-year-old son, Steven Swink II, were definitely tapping into APS illegally.
The hidden shelter had all the comforts and homey touches. There are pictures on the walls and knickknacks on the shelves. Along with 36 guns, 1 pound of methamphetamine, 1 ounce of cocaine, .5 ounces of psilocybin mushrooms, 200 narcotic pill capsules, $240,000 in cash, Gold and silver valued at $700,000.