Crime
Co-op Hit by Suspected Pot Ring
A suspected marijuana growing operation has left a South Carolina electric cooperative the victim of a major electricity theft.
Mid-Carolina EC uncovered this illegal tap in underground service. (Photo By: Mid-Carolina EC)
“We’re not talking about run-of-the-mill meter tampering,” said Lee Ayers, system engineer at Mid-Carolina Electric Cooperative. “We’re talking about grand larceny—tens of thousands of dollars.”
Because a criminal investigation remains active, Ayers could share only certain details with ECT.coop.
“In almost all cases, they were tapping an underground service ahead of the meter to bypass a portion of the load around the meter—primarily the load involved with the illegal activity,” Ayers said.
“In three cases they had actually removed the overhead service that we had installed and replaced it on their own with an underground service that they then tapped to steal power,” he added.
“They know what they’re doing. This is not an amateur operation by any description. It’s professional from top to bottom,” Ayers said.
Mid-Carolina has taken action against 13 service locations. While not all were actively being used for marijuana growing, Ayers said, “All of them were involved in the theft of electric service in a manner consistent with the techniques that the grow houses were.”
Ayers said the alleged illegal activity was often confined to sheds, trailers or small out buildings, and that the rest of the properties had legitimate co-op service. In fact, he said, the bills were paid on time, and there were “no usage patterns that were immediately indicative of current diversion.”
Lexington-based Mid-Carolina discovered the problem in October, when it was notified by authorities following a raid.
In fact, October was a busy month for the Lexington County Multi-Agency Narcotics Enforcement Team. Following an eight-month investigation, officers raided at least eight homes, arresting seven suspects. Authorities also seized 446 marijuana plants, along with 51 pounds of the drug that had been packaged for distribution, for a total street value of $557,000.
“At each home used in the marijuana growing operation, electricity illegally was connected from power poles to the residences, where illicit electricity was used to power a sophisticated system of grow lights and irrigation equipment,” the Lexington County Sheriff’s Department said in a statement.
Investigators believe the suspects may be linked to a marijuana growing operation in Florida that stole power from Withlacoochee River Electric Cooperative.
To sign up for the latest Industry news alerts, click here.
Tags: Crime