There was no smell, no holes in the ceiling where lights could have been hung, no paraphernalia, no nothing. The home's occupant sued, claiming the raid traumatized her. Dale Conn of the Clark-Skamania Drug Task Force slides past growing marijuana plants seized last April. About 1,140 plants were found, nurtured by high-intensity indoor lighting and hydroponic systems that piped water and liquid nutrients to each plant. A review of affidavits shows that, in many cases, a tip by a single informant provides the bulk of the information needed.
Detectives do verify background details whenever possible.
And if the informant is a known drug user with a criminal record, so much the better in the upside-down world of the drug agents. In that technique, officers search the informant to make sure he or she has no illegal drugs or money. They then give the informant some money, take him or her to a drug house and watch. If the informant is successful in buying drugs, it shows he or she can operate in the drug subculture. The list of informants' motives described in search-warrant affidavits is long and varied.