Vallejo Property Owners Find Abandoned Pot Grow

The owners of a rental home in Vallejo were stunned when they discovered the residents had abandoned a large indoor marijuana grow operation and fled.

“We’ve been violated,” said owner Leonardo Bordador. “This is the first time we’ve experienced this kind of thing. We can’t believe this could happen here.”

Bordador said he and his wife leased the house to a young man from Oakland who called himself Bang Thuc Gian. He told the Bordadors he lived with his wife and two young children.

Instead, neighbors said, they only saw Gian and another young Asian-American man living in the house. Later, other young men started hanging around at all hours, making at least one neighbor suspicious.

Matthew Dixon, who lives next door, said the occupants were quiet and friendly, even if their activities were suspicious. They abandoned the house in August, Dixon said.

That’s when PG&E shut off power to the home, apparently because they learned the occupants were stealing electricity.

Shortly after the men left, another neighbor spotted water condensing on the windows. Fearing a leak inside, he turned off the water main outside. Dixon said he suspected the occupants left an irrigation system running when they left and flooded the house.

Bordador and his wife leased the property last year and only learned of the abandonment after the fact. They were barred from entering until early October due to tenant law in California.

Bordador said he rented the house to Gian for $2,800 a month. Bordador and his wife live in Daly City.

After seeing the damage inside the house, Bordador called Vallejo police. They then called the fire department to inspect the property for hazardous mold. A haz-mat team determined there were no threats. Environmental authorities in Solano County also took part in the investigation.

Inside, the owners found dried marijuana plants, extension cords, and fans. Some rooms suffered extensive water damage, and the garage was littered with trash.

Bordador said he told cops of his suspicion earlier, but officers told him they would have to wait until the lease expired before they could access the house.

“We want to get the guy to make him pay for what he had done to us and the community,” Bordador said, though he acknowledged it may already be too late to recoup the damages from anyone.