Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
News
Firefighter Charged With Having Pot Grow House
By
Jen Chung
Published Feb 26, 2009
Modified Feb 26, 2009
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
By
Jen Chung
Published Feb 26, 2009
Modified Feb 26, 2009
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Federal prosecutors have charged an FDNY firefighter with maintaining a marijuana grow house—with 100 plants— in a rented Queens home's basement. Patrick Murray was "arraigned on charges of manufacturing and possessing a controlled substance with the intent to distribute."
Apparently the DEA has been looking at a "narcotics trafficking organization that grows marijuana in houses in Queens and sells it throughout the New York region," according to the NY Times. It's believed that Murray was a part of the group, and when feds received a tip about him moving "high-power lights"—the sort that are used for grow houses—into a U-Haul, investigators moved in. From the Daily News:
Murray was sitting in the U-Haul truck when cops approached him and asked what he was doing, the complaint states.
The firefighter claimed he was just making a U-turn in the driveway, but cops knocked on the door of the house and a tenant told them Murray had been moving items out of the basement, which reeked of marijuana.
The cops followed the strong smell of pot wafting from the basement and found the plants growing in an unlocked room. The off-duty firefighter was also carrying keys to three doors in the house.
The street value of the marijuana plants found was $500,000. Murray, who didn't enter a plea, was released on $250,000 bail and faces between 5 and 40 years in prison if convicted. He has been suspended from his position at Engine 292 as well. second firefighter may be charged as well.
Tagged
arrest
crime
dea
drugs
fdny
grow house
marijuana
pot
Jen Chung
Jen Chung is a former WNYC and Gothamist editor.
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE news
Deer are all over New Jersey roads looking for sex, state officials warn
Mid-October through mid-December is deer mating season, which can be a danger to drivers as the sex-seeking creatures cross roadways throughout the Garden State.
By
Rosemary Misdary
Published Oct 16, 2026 at 4:22 p.m. ET
Man messaged 'I got straight poison' before giving NYC college students fentanyl, feds say
A transcript from an April court hearing sheds new light on what transpired at Fashion Institute of Technology.
By
Samantha Max
News
Man messaged 'I got straight poison' before giving NYC college students fentanyl, feds say
A transcript from an April court hearing sheds new light on what transpired at Fashion Institute of Technology.
By
Samantha Max
Inside the plan to fix the nearly collapsed Pfizer Building, 1/64th of an inch at a time
By
David Brand
School bus carrying autistic students got lost in Brooklyn for 4 hours last year
By
Jessica Gould
NYC’s bridges can last 'forever,' if we take care of them
By
Clayton Guse
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .