Edgel Family's Texas Rental Home Turns Out to Be Marijuana Grow House
One reason why a thorough inspection is necessary before moving into a home? It could reveal that the property used to be a massive marijuana grow house.
But the Edgel family wasn't thinking in those terms when they moved from Utah into a house in Cypress, Texas. They didn't know the backstory: The home was involved along with 50 others in a massive drug bust by the DEA. Another home swept up in the sting belonged to Dana Nance who, as AOL Real Estate reported in August, unwittingly rented the home to a marijuana grow operation.
Christy Edgel told TV station KRIV in Houston that shortly after her family moved into their well-maintained, 4,000-square-foot rental home, they started to get sick.
"My eyes were burning. My throat was burning. My chest felt heavy," Edgel said. "Then I became very congested. My youngest daughter started getting green goop in her eyes, and she would cough until she threw up."
Edgel quickly discovered mold growing all over the house, including on the air vent above her daughter's crib.
Though their neighbors knew, the Edgels had no idea of their home's notorious past.
"We never would have dreamed there was an organized crime ring growing marijuana here," Edgel told KPRC-TV in Houston.
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Under Texas law, landlords must reveal if a home was used to manufacture crystal meth -- but they are not required to reveal whether a property was used as a marijuana grow house.
According to KPRC, the Edgels recovered their deposit from the homeowner and all of the rent they had paid. They are still looking to get reimbursed on moving costs.
Believe it or not, things could have been worse. A family in Washington who got sick after moving into their new home had to tear it down when they found out it had been used to produce crystal meth. And in case you're worried about grow-houses in your neighborhood, here's how to tell if you're living next to one.
