12.22.2009

hey dude, what's in these fortune cookies?

This week in Oakland's Chinatown, a fire at a former fortune cookie factory led authorities to the discovery of at least 1,000 marijuana plants worth about $500,000: Oakland police find at least 1,000 pot plants at former fortune cookie factory.

According to police, the small fire was sparked by an electrical malfunction. There's no sign that the 7,000-square-foot building is a working fortune cookie factory, bakery or retail outlet anymore. It seems, however, that the facilities were recently being used as a very different kind of business. And someone just lost their stash.

None of the marijana plants were burned in the fire. According to police, they ranged from seedlings to four feet tall, and were being grown in a space of about 1,750 square feet. The building was apparently well-stocked with growing tubs, chemicals, lights and other accessories used for growing pot plants.

Whoever was growing the plants was pirating electricity to power the lights, ventilation and irrigation systems, tapping into an old line in front of the building. Alas, the faulty wiring was probably what eventually foiled their operation -- a pot farm... in a fortune cookie factory! Next time, don't skimp on the juice.

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