The Morongo Basin Sheriff’s station captain, and chief of police for Yucca Valley and Twentynine Palms, was the guest on the Z107.7 Up Close show Friday (February 26). Reporter Andrew Dieleman says that Captain Luke Niles also addressed the recent proliferation of illegal marijuana grows in the Morongo Basin and what the Sheriff’s department is doing about it…
According to Sheriff’s Captain Luke Niles, the Morongo Basin has seen a significant increase in illegal marijuana grows because the area provides much of what illegal growers are looking for.
“Land out here is cheap and it’s relatively secluded.”
According to Captain Niles, the most common problem with illegal grows is quality-of-life issues for neighbors.
“They [neighbors] are hearing generators run all night and the nauseous fumes, and we hear a lot about the smell and the chemicals that are used to fertilize [the plants].”
A recent 6-month Sheriff’s operation eradicated many illegal grows in the Morongo Basin, however illegal marijuana cultivation is now a misdemeanor crime, which makes enforcement difficult.
“Generally, we don’t break the curtilage of someone’s property on a misdemeanor crime. It [typically] has to rise to a felony.”
Captain Niles stated that the Sheriff’s department is working diligently with county code enforcement and the community to identify and pursue tips of illegal grows.
