Illegal marijuana grow at Rancho Cucamonga home busted for 2nd time

RANCHO CUCAMONGA, Calif. (KABC) -- A home on Ridgrecrest Drive in Rancho Cucamonga appeared to be vacant. The lawn was dead from lack of water, but inside thousands of marijuana plants were flourishing.

On Tuesday, investigators with the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department Gang and Narcotics division raided the home and found a sophisticated cultivation operating.

An anonymous tip led them to the home in an upscale area north of the 210 freeway.

"Periodically, a dark SUV would come to the home and stay for a short period of time and it would be at all hours of the day," said Jodi Miller, spokeswoman for the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department.

Inside the home row after row of marijuana plants occupying every inch of the space. Investigators estimated there were 970 plants at various stages of growth.

"According to investigators a large portion of that marijuana grow was due to be harvested," Miller said.

The operation used advanced lighting, air conditioning, air filtration system and fans to control both climate and odor coming from the marijuana grow. All of it required an immense amount of electricity.

"Suspects were not stealing electricity, the fact that they had the additional wiring going into the second electrical box is a huge fire danger," Miller said.

The home was retagged as unsafe and the power cut. This also isn't the first time investigators have been to this home, which neighbors said is a rental.

"Within the last six months that same residence there was another search warrant," Miller said. "They conducted at that home where again hundreds of marijuana plants were located."

Deputies arrested Jiewen Li, Shuhuan Liang and Shusi Peng on charges of cultivating cannabis over six plants.

The city of Rancho Cucamonga has an ordinance prohibiting the commercial growth of marijuana beyond six plants for personal use.