Self-Storage and the Law: Drug Busts

In Colorado, storage units are used to store anything from little Johnny's bike to grannie's urn and everything in between. People from all walks of life use these facilities to keep their possessions safe and secure. Sometimes those possessions end up being less than legal substances. Although it may seem unlikely that a criminal would use a storage facility to keep their product safe, many do and many of them are caught.

Although storage facilities typically do not have drug dogs of their own on the premises, it is not outside the renter's legal rights to privacy for the business to allow police dogs on the property. Some police departments may approach facility owners to set up an agreement for training their dogs at the facility. For owners of the facility, an arrangement with local authorities is a great way to strengthen their relationship with them. For the owners providing a training site proves to the local authorities and residence that they are operating within the laws of the jurisdiction. Also, posting notice of periodic police dog training on site will keep unwanted criminal renter off their property.

Detection By Dog

Dogs have been part of police forces since the early 18th century when Bloodhounds were used by European forces. Then in World War One Belgium and Germany began formally training dogs and their handlers for security details. After World War Two, soldiers brought home their combat trained dogs and began using them in K-9 programs across Europe. In the United States, K-9 units didn't become popular until the 1970s.

Why use dog in police work? Did you know that a dog's sense of smell is 50 times more sensitive than a human's. Dogs can be trained to detect the presence of people, drugs, weapons and bombs. Dogs can even pick out a particular scent while in the presents of dozens of other scents. Some drug runners will try to mask the scent of their product by surrounding it with other strong odors like perfume or disinfectants; however, the dog is still able to compartmentalize the illegal scent.

To train dogs to sniff out drugs in storage lockers and other locations, trainers use association training. The dog associated their favorite toy with the smell of the drugs. The officer starts letting the dog play with the toy, next the officer will put the drug in the toy so that the dog associates the smell with the toy. Once the dog begins that association, the handler will hide the toy with the drug and when the dog finds the toy/ drug scent s/he will be rewarded with the toy. Training takes time, but is very effective.

As you may be able to imagine, sorting or manufacturing drugs in locker facilities isn't a new idea. Many "bright" criminals have stored their wares in Colorado storage facilities across the country and even more of them have been caught.

Top Busts In Storage Facilities

• Police in California discovered 168 pounds of marijuana inside a unit in Sauslito. An anonymous tip led police to the storage facility where they found the pot along with the tenant who had been residing in the locker. The tenant had outfitted that unit with electricity and cable television. The drugs were valued at around $420,000. The facility manager denied knowing about the drugs or the person residing in it.

• A Washington D.C. self-storage unit was recently under investigation for 15 months after a wire tap led police to the site. D.C. Police assisted by Federal agents discovered that the unit was being used as a drug drop off location. One night two men were observed (via closed circuit cameras) dropping off a suitcase at the location and when FBI agents searched the facility they found 30 Kilos, or 66.14 pounds of cocaine along with four guns. The cocaine was said to be worth over $1 million.


• Nearby in New Market, MD authorities discovered a criminal conspiracy centered out of a self-storage locker. The criminals were using their unit as a warehouse to ship their hallucinogenic "bath salts" from. Police were altered of the location after two females were caught trying to pick up suspicious packages from a UPS facility. The women were picking up the packages for someone renting a unit in the area and when federal agents raided that facility they found a large quantity of the synthetic drug. The renter ran several websites that sold the drugs to businesses and individuals across the country disguising them as bath salts.


• A mini unit in San Antonio, TX was found to contain 28 pounds of crystal meth. An investigation conducted by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement led to the discovery of the drugs worth about $2-4 million on the street. Police became aware of the drugs in storage after a traffic stop of the renter yielded five ounces of crystal meth and a gun. The facility manager turned over video surveillance of the man at the\ unit where the meth was later discovered. 

Other Criminal Stories Involving Storage Facilities

Dumb Crimes

A few drug busts that boggle the mind.

$2M in meth seized in joint DPS, ICE San Antonio bust

An estimated $2 million worth of crystal methamphetamine is off the streets of San Antonio thanks to the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) and the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

FBI Uses Storage Units to Bust Bad Chicago Cops

Units at two local self-storage facilities were recently used in sting operations conducted by the FBI and Internal Affairs Division to bust bad cops, the Chicago Sun-Times reported last Wednesday. After receiving complaints about officers who allegedly invade homes and steal valuables, the Chicago Police Department is making efforts to remove undesirables from its force.