Two accused of growing pot inside rental homes in McHenry Co.

A pair of Streamwood men spent the weekend behind bars in the McHenry County jail, accused of operating indoor marijuana-growing farms in two rented homes on the western side of the county.

Joseph R. Mueller, 23, and Michael Sanchez, 23, turned themselves in to authorities Friday, ending a nearly two-week investigation that began when McHenry County Sheriff's deputies happened upon one of the growing operations while checking out a suspicious vehicle outside a Garden Prairie residence.

While investigating to see if there had been a burglary, sheriff's police said, deputies noticed an odor of marijuana from inside the home and obtained a search warrant. Once inside, sheriff's police said, deputies found 30 cannabis plants, 19 pounds of marijuana, lights, ballasts, packaging materials and scales.

The Jan. 24 discovery led deputies the next day to a second rented home in Union where, sheriff's police said, they found 70 more cannabis plants, 42 pounds of marijuana, lights, scales, security cameras and ammunition.

All told, authorities said, the drugs seized from the two homes is worth about $162,000.

Mueller, of the 100 block of Cedar Circle, faces charges of unlawful manufacturing of cannabis, unlawful possession of cannabis, unlawful production of cannabis sativa plants and unlawful possession of drug paraphernalia. He remains in custody at the county jail, unable to post a $100,000 bond. He could face a mandatory sentence of six to 30 years in prison if found guilty on all charges.

Sanchez, of the 3100 block of Lynwood Court, is charged with unlawful production of cannabis sativa plants and unlawful possession of cannabis. He also remains in custody on a $20,000 bond. He faces a maximum two to five years in prison if found guilty.

The arrests mark the second major indoor pot-growing operation busted by county authorities in the last month and about the 12th in the last year. Sgt. John Koziol, who heads the sheriff's narcotics unit, said the spike in indoor pot growing reflects a trend caused by a combination of climate, law enforcement and economic factors.

"(The recession) is a part of it," he said. "And for an outdoor operation, you're lucky to get one or two crops a year. Indoor you can get three or four."

Sheriff's police said there are telltale signs of an indoor operation, such as a home's windows being blacked out, people coming and going infrequently, mold growing outside and no snow on the home's roof.