CLEANING UP DRUGS

Late at night, two men dressed in white chemical suits and blue masks look ominous as they lug a barrel from a house.

Even in Las Vegas, they're enough to pique the imagination of passers-by. Perhaps yet another biowarfare flick being filmed? Or extraterrestrial remains from Area 51 being confiscated?

The truth is less colorful, though far from commonplace. A crew is clearing out toxic materials from a pot-growing operation that Las Vegas police busted in the northwest valley.

The landlord can expect to pay for cleaning and repairs.

A code approved in May gives Clark County officials more leverage in requiring property owners to ensure a dwelling used in an illicit drug operation is made safe before selling or renting it.

Before that, no rule compelled owners to clean or renovate a tainted dwelling, making it easier to pass to an unsuspecting occupant.

"The big change is to safeguard the tenants," said Joe Boteilho, the county's code enforcement chief.

The state Legislature already had put the code on the books, Boteilho said.

Essentially, a dwelling that was used to produce unlawful drugs is deemed a "chronic nuisance," and the owner has 180 days to make it livable. That prevents a contaminated or trashed home from turning into a deserted eyesore.

The code's language is aimed mainly at drug enterprises that leave behind a toxic chemical residue, such as methamphetamine labs, though it covers marijuana growers, too, Boteilho said.

Meth manufacturing is in sharp decline in Clark County, while pot growers are multiplying, said Lt. Rick Vonfeldt, who helps oversee a police drug enforcement team.

In the first quarter of 2008, police raided three illicit labs, a faint echo of the 300 labs shut down in 2000 at the peak of the area's drug production, Vonfeldt said. "All across the country it's tapered off."

Police busted 30 pot-growing enterprises during the first months of this year, he said. Last year, a total of 47 operations were raided.

Marijuana has become a manufacturer's drug of choice because the penalties are more lenient and improved technology lets producers cultivate crops at a lower cost, Vonfeldt said. Harder drugs are higher risk.

"You're going to do a lot more prison time with cocaine," Vonfeldt said. "And the money is just as good or better" with marijuana.

That isn't to say growing pot is clean and green, he said.

Operations range from a couple dozen to a couple thousand plants, Vonfeldt said. Vats of water and fertilizer moisten and feed the plants, causing dampness that seeps into ceilings, walls and carpets.

Mildew is a typical by-product. The mold is often so intense, officers and cleanup crews routinely wear masks to avoid breathing in spores.

Growers tend to damage the rooms by cutting ventilation holes in the ceilings for the plants, he said. Many also rig up electrical wiring illegally from a source outside the house to avoid paying hefty power bills for grow lights.

The interior damage combined with mold and poorly rigged wiring make the dwelling hazardous, Vonfeldt said.

Police contracted with H2O Environmental to clean up a site after a drug raid, he said. The company's workers carry out vats of dirty water and fertilizer and do some cleaning.

The initial cleanup runs from $800 to $9,000, depending on the size of the operation, Vonfeldt said, noting that taxpayers foot the bill.

Vonfeldt said he hopes the new code will shift the cost of the work to property owners.

Cleanup costs are less of a concern with meth labs, because the federal Drug Enforcement Agency pays most of that, he said.

Vonfeldt said it was unclear how the county will ensure that a dwelling damaged by a pot grower is safe. He suggested bringing in building and health inspectors after the work is done.

Boteilho said the county has separate codes to cover structural and electrical repairs.

He agreed that it might be a good idea to enlist the aid of the Southern Nevada Health District for inspections.

With lodging, the district's sole authority is over hotel rooms, said Jennifer Sizemore, district spokeswoman. She said health officials back the effort to hold homeowners accountable.

Commissioner Susan Brager, who works in real estate, said she observed some gaps in the system.

Unless police and other agencies are vigilant, a drug house owner still could get away with slapping a coat of paint over the problem and renting it out, Brager said.

"I'm still not sure who's monitoring it. Who's reporting to whom? How would anybody know?"

Boteilho said enacting the code was an important step. He agreed that certain procedures still must be formulated.

For instance, code-enforcement agents and the police must develop a method for working in tandem on drug houses, he said. Detectives should notify the code-enforcement team after a drug house is raided.

Also, a standard for double-checking whether a dwelling has been restored to livability must be created, he said.

Brager suggested that a drug house's activities be permanently etched into the property records, even after it's been fixed up. That way, prospective residents know what they're getting, she said.

Although the system needs fine-tuning, Brager said, the code is a solid starting point.

"I think the intent is very, very good. It's for the well-being of everyone."

Contact reporter Scott Wyland at swyland@reviewjournal.com or 702-455-4519.