Tel Aviv police bust marijuana growing room at health fund

According to police, the grow room housed 26 plants, and was rigged with grow lights and a ventilation system.

By BEN HARTMAN
Marijuana plants are seen in a MedReleaf facility. (photo credit: ALEXANDER REPETSKI)
Marijuana plants are seen in a MedReleaf facility.
(photo credit: ALEXANDER REPETSKI)
Two Holon men in their 20s ran a sizable marijuana growing room inside a health clinic in the city, Tel Aviv police said.
The room was discovered on Friday night, when police received a call reporting a break-in at the health clinic building. Once inside the building, officers caught two men in their 20s, who were at the building to work in the growing room, which was set up inside an electrical closet attached to the clinic.
According to police, the grow room housed 26 plants, and was rigged with grow lights and a ventilation system.
They said it is unclear how long the grow room was operational at the health clinic or if there were any other suspects involved in running it.
On Sunday, Tel Aviv police announced that earlier in the day they raided a large detached house in central Ramat Hasharon, whose basement had been turned into a grow room housing some 650 plants.
Police arrested a suspect, who lives upstairs in the home with his four children.
The value of the marijuana and the lighting and irrigation equipment is valued in the millions, police estimated.
They added that the suspect had pirated electricity to power the grow room lights without drawing the attention of the authorities.