During the marijuana growing season, up to 500 pounds a day is nabbed by the Santa Cruz County Metro Task Force, while disposal bonfires are lit only every few months. Both cops say the fumes wafting off the dope in their hallway are a potential health hazard. Without proper ventilation, anyone working in the area risks contracting aspergillus, a fungi sometimes found in dope that's been packed wet. The spores can cause lung disease. Jontow says the department either needs to build a new storage area for the dope or install proper venting.
Officials estimate the department needs three times the space it now has.
Huerta hopes Nogales' new mayor, Louie Valdez, will come through on his statement of support for a much-needed police substation. But it's not laid out in the 1995-'96 budget proposal for the city. Huerta says they'll get creative in looking for the money. Maybe a grant from the feds, he says. After all, they are fighting the War On Drugs.