Crackdown Continues On Stash Houses
EL PASO – Local law enforcement, through the efforts of the West Texas High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area Stash House Unit, has seized over31,000 pounds of marijuanaso far in2007, officials indicated last week in a news release.
Thetime framestretches from Jan. 1, 2007 through the end of October. The total street value of the marihuana seized is $24,900.800, officials said.
The Stash Unit depends on tips from the public to continue to fight illegal narcotics in the community, and asks everyone to be on the lookout for houses that may be used as storage centers for the illegal contraband.
A few of the possible indicators, according to the Stash House Unit:
Rental homes Attached garages Unkept Yards Little if any furniture Occupants keep to themselves (not visible on a daily basis) Occupants will not hold a normal pattern of lifestyle Different vehicles (especially vans and pickup trucks) entering and exiting the garage Vehicles arriving at the stash house will have different out of town plates (Texas, New Mexico, Mexico, and paper “buyer” or “dealer” plates Sudden activity in the home after days or weeks of not seen anyone at the home Accumulation of advertisements on the front door Occupants do not usually put their trash out for regular collection, but instead prefer to dump it at another location themselves.
These again are some of the typical indicators of a stash house, and these indicators alone do not necessarily mean that the occupants of the home are running a stash house, authorities said.. As a general rule if residents believe there is suspicious activity in a home in their area they should call the West Texas Stash House Unit at 629-8600 or Crime Stoppers at 566-8477(TIPS).
