Busted - Personal grow in Raleigh, NC, USA - Ask me anything (AMA :)

1highman said:

Man, that shit sux ass. Im just now looking into growin dro in WNC, and this is great info for me thanks for sharing it man.

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Best of luck -- follow others' advice, think shit over, and don't ever get too comfortable (lazy)! .. even with all this, I don't really regret taking the risk. The laws are wrong, so I said "fuck it" ... loved every minute of it - even when it was a pain in the ass - end result was always satisfaction.. damn I miss my babies.

to visit a hydro store in a sketchy town go with a
non grower friend in his car and you both will be fine
unless the po po follow so keep a look out for this as
well. if followed, go and get your cash back

Xavier ,sorry to hear this BS happened to your family..Especially to your wife (who don't indulged) my wife either..Thanks for the info ..It reminds all of us never get too lazy ..Always be mindful/aware...Hope all things come back together for you/family ...In time i know they will..Peace always...

Milovan said:

to visit a hydro store in a sketchy town go with a
non grower friend in his car and you both will be fine
unless the po po follow so keep a look out for this as
well. if followed, go and get your cash back

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Good advice there. Non-grower or taxi would be a great idea. I don't think they follow, just record car & plate and then try to scoop info from there (all auto registration info is readily available to them)

what a shitty experience to go through.

sorry that happened to you.

bigfattone420 said:

.... . . .Hope all things come back together for you/family ...In time i know they will..Peace always...

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We're actually doing quite OK. It wasn't a financial resource for us, just a hobby... or maybe like a pet. I miss them so much, but I'm grateful to have my job and my [limited] freedom. I still get to DJ all the time, so whatever.. cannabis was a great part of my life, but I can absolutely live without. When everything's done, we'll move to another state where it's more acceptable. I'll get a doctor's recommendation for sure, since I have plenty of good reasons to use cannabis responsibly.

Do you think there is a chance this site could be used as a source of gathering intelligence?

not related to your case, but I was just thinking about modern digital cameras, a lot of new ones have gps in the software.
It is also very easy to read the meta data in an image, so if one was unaware of this and uploaded an image of their grow taken with a gps camera, it would contain the exact coordanites.

XavierNC said:

Best of luck -- follow others' advice, think shit over, and don't ever get too comfortable (lazy)! .. even with all this, I don't really regret taking the risk. The laws are wrong, so I said "fuck it" ... loved every minute of it - even when it was a pain in the ass - end result was always satisfaction.. damn I miss my babies.

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Man thanx for the advice, and I feel ya about missin' them.

Dude thats fucked up man, I feel your pain, been there. I hope you get it sorted at the end and i like the way u wanted to give people advice on not to throw stuff in garbage and that to be careful on buying your equipment, Thats a nice touch. I wouldnt be surprised if sites like this were being monitored so just be careful people. PEACE to y'all.

After reading this i am glad there is no store i can buy supplies in the small town i grow in,i prob would have been gotten caught and this is another reason i try to grow enough to last at least a year and then start 3 months before i run out.

thanks for sharing dude. So sorry for your legal troubles...wtf, there are child offenders and sexual predators out there they could be catching. They need to use their resources (and OUR tax money) for that and leave medical/personal growers alone.

Timely post - I'd been meaning to make a pilgrimage to either of Fifth in Chapel Hill or Raleigh for a while. Didn't quite work out - and partly as I'd heard the stores weren't so great (anecdotal). Maybe use the free public trans it CH (or park elsewhere in Raleigh where you're guaranteed to violate *some* parking law and get a ticket).

And to think a couple years ago I'd parked almost in front of the head shop across from State. But at least that had nothing to do with growing.

Getting tougher - cash local or mail order account. Maybe prepaid VISA on disposable mail order (and e-mail) accounts.

Been thinking about a grow - but need also to clean up a few other things. Too many hobby things mirror signatures of a grow.

Always sorry to hear about somopne getting popped. Happened to me in 2010. Your account and assesment sounds accurate. I have always been leery of "local" hydro shops, just because it is so easy to just sit there and take down tag numbers. Besides, anything available there can usually be had elswhere for less. I am STILL oinkin' from the boinkin', but I'm with ya. I eventually beat the charges for the grow, (technicality) getting convicted of felon in poss of a firearm. 5 yrs probation. I made NO excuses, I even told the judge (AND my PO) how pot saved my life, as it was the only way I was able to quit a severe decades long alcoholic career. I love growing, and when able to do so again, bet your ass I'm back at it, wiser though from the experience. Best of luck to you and yours!!!

Sorry to hear that brother, best of luck to you and yours.
Puff.

Is Nc a legal state?I don't know if id risk it if I weren't in a legal state.

XavierNC said:

To get a home search warrant in NC, they basically need physical evidence from at least 2 separate occasions. For me, it was finding a couple dead leaves in two bags of trash a couple weeks apart.. I don't know how many bags of rotten trash they looked through during the 4-6 week investigation.. but the thought of it makes me fucking LOL

No physical evidence = no warrant. But you obviously don't want do draw any other attention to yourself, like bright ass lights shining through blinds, etc.

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Man Xavier, when I read your post my stomach dropped. Such BS and there's nothing one can do. Thank you for sharing your experience and know that many here will undoubtedly learn from your tale. I know I will because I currently grow in California where things are more liberal but one still needs to be cautous. I tell no one, let no people into my growing building (not even relatives and especially not other growers). I stopped getting cuttings from others mostly because of the potential for spider mites but also because people that get busted will surely tell on others to minimize their punishment. The garbage thing is a very important factor that EVERYONE should heed. I really feel for you and prey that it works out. Don't give up hope. I know that once busted, one goes through the thinking about all the things they could have done different. Don't be too hard on yourself, it was a simple matter of some over zealous cops trying to get ahead and make a name for themselves. Think of all the people in your state growing many, many times more than the small amount you had. It is simply not fair and seems like you were just a random chance encounter.
Brings me back to 1990 when I got busted in Santa Clara County, San Jose, California. Back then the "attitude" of the law was very old fashioned. I had 18 plants in 5 gal buckets outside in my back yard. They were all trained and were full bushes but were just starting to flower. It was late September. I know who turned me in and will forever remember the swat team of about 20 police in full riot gear swarming around me when I came out in the early AM for morning coffee, a smoke and hover over my babies. They cut all the plants from their main stem and the amount calculated was purely wet vegetative matter and zero bud. It was somewhere around 14+ pounds! Man I was gonna' have a hella' harvest. Ultimately, I got 1 year house arrest with ankle bracelet and 3 more years after that, additional probation. Lawyer cost me over $8K too. Gotta' remember, this was 22 years ago and things were a lot different.
Take care, don't give up and be more stealthy next grow. Like a bankruptcy and getting new credit after it, the best time to grow is after the bust. I'm sure your wife will agree, LOL...

XavierNC said:

Best of luck -- follow others' advice, think shit over, and don't ever get too comfortable (lazy)! .. even with all this, I don't really regret taking the risk. The laws are wrong, so I said "fuck it" ... loved every minute of it - even when it was a pain in the ass - end result was always satisfaction.. damn I miss my babies.

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This is my attitude. And my girl is a non-smoker. She will be my main concern if it happens to me as well. I'm in nc as well.

OP must be a redditor.

Whats that?

sfttailpaul said:

... The garbage thing is a very important factor that EVERYONE should heed. ...

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So what to do with the garbage? Mulch it? Any way to destroy the detectables for the dogs? A friend smokes - doesn't grow - but is afraid to take the cooking debris out of the house. So it accumulates. Which also isn't good. Perhaps we need a good "garbage thread" as I couldn't find one. Seems germain here. What would OP and others suggest for their growing situation (urban, Raleigh or other city, possible septic system) for trim? cheese cloth?

Just seems too many cameras everywhere. Remote park trash cans? Onsite much better - but what destroys sufficiently? Mulching? Septic System? Sewer (washing cheese cloth then flushing?) I know it depends on quantity (if growing or otherwise). But for personal grower / heavy smoker / cooker - what?