Owners of an Omaha, Nebraska-area Airbnb claimed that recent guests turned the residence into a meth lab, causing more than $26,000 in damages.
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While speaking to local media outlet WOWT, the Airbnb rental owners, Daniel and Jocelyn Medrano, talked about the meth lab incident. They have been renting their home for the past two years to pay for travel costs during the holiday season. While in Florida, they received a rental request that was too good to be true.
“Probably one of the best bookings we have ever got, an 11-day stay,” Daniel explained. ”We were super excited because that right there paid for our trip to Florida.”
The Airbnb guest paid through instant booking. However, the Medranos said communication was “difficult” throughout the process. The renter finally showed up on the second day of his stay, and that was when the trouble started.
“All of a sudden, he brings two or three other men to the house that are not on the reservation,” Jocelyn said. “So, then I have to message him, and I am like, ‘Hey, you can not do that, that is against Airbnb policy.’”
The couple decided to monitor the men closely through surveillance cameras installed on the property a month earlier. The Medranos could only watch when the men came and went with more suspicious items.
Among the items that the men brought into the Airbnb rental were utility fans and cooking pots.
The Airbnb Owners Contacted Law Enforcement When They Saw the Renter Carrying Bags of ‘White Powder’ Into the Home
Meanwhile, the Airbnb owners grew even more concerned when they saw the renter bring bags of “white powder” in the house.
”The original, we called him the original guy, he came, and he brought four bags of white powder,” Daniel explained. “They were heavy, the guy was carrying the big bags of powder. I think they were at least 50 pounds, and he started storing them in our house.”
The Medranos were soon contacted by their neighbors about the situation, which prompted them to contact local law enforcement a few times. Jocelyn even submitted a tip through crime stoppers, and an Omaha Police Department detective reached out. With permission from the homeowners, they set up surveillance around the residence.
“They got into a vehicle and left, so we ended up following that vehicle and doing a traffic stop on them,” Lt. Steve Fornoff with the OPD Narcotics Unit shared. “We utilized our K-9 handlers. They came on scene, they ran a dog around the car and got a positive alert for narcotics.”
It was revealed that more than a hundred pounds of meth and two to three pounds of liquid meth were produced lab inside the Airbnb in just under a week.
Three men were arrested and held on a half-million dollar bonds. They were also charged with meth possession.
Unfortunately, the Airbnb was trashed by the meth lab renters, with chemical dust all over the house. The inside of the home was covered in a strong smell of ammonia. There were also “shards” of meth trapped in the carpet where the Medranos children play.
The company added that the home will require extensive cleaning. It will take months for them to return to the residence.