Cannabis growing operation found after Aurora fire, police say

An Aurora man is facing drug charges after police say firefighters found a large cannabis-growing operation in his home while they were investigating a fire.

Ryan Prey, 32, of the 1800 block of Ashwood Lane, is charged with manufacturing/delivery of more than 5,000 grams of cannabis, producing or possessing more than 200 cannabis plants, and possession of more than 5,000 grams of cannabis.

Police and firefighters were called to his house at 7:23 a.m. Saturday for a report of a fire. They saw flames near the front entrance and damage to the siding from the heat. Firefighters extinguished the fire before it spread.

While looking for the source of the fire, firefighters saw signs of a cannabis growing setup in the basement and alerted police.

Police obtained a search warrant. They say they found 330 cannabis plants, at least 52 pounds of cannabis, “numerous” cellphones, and drug-packaging materials.

“This case shows how routine calls for service can uncover far more serious threats,” Police Chief Matt Thomas said in a news release. “I want to commend both our officers and firefighters for working together to not only stop a fire from spreading, but also to safely dismantle a large-scale illegal operation that posed a risk to the entire area.”

The news release noted that Prey had sustained an injury to his face earlier that day in Chicago.

According to the Kane County Circuit Court Clerk’s records, Prey is being detained pretrial until further notice. His next court date is Thursday.

Anyone with information about this is asked to call the Investigations Division at (630) 256-5500.