Guns, cannabis and narcotics found in New York residence operating as an Airbnb

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Local and federal policing authorities teamed up to raid a home operating as an Airbnb in Niagara Falls, N.Y. and found an illegal stash that included two loaded pistols and drugs thought to be cannabis and narcotic pain medication.

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According to WKBW, members of the Niagara Falls Police Department, the FBI and the U.S. Marshals Service executed a search warrant on Feb. 23. Inside, officers found two people, one aged 34 and the other aged 26, from California.

The subsequent search of the residence further revealed two loaded Ruger LCP .380 calibre pistols, an unidentified quantity of suspected marijuana and a large quantity of suspected narcotic pain medication.

Both individuals have been charged with criminal possession of a weapon in the second degree, with WKBW citing a police statement as noting more counts are possible pending completion of the confiscated substances analysis.

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Per WGRZ, NFPD Superintendent John Faso said the bust was part of a multi-agency effort “to focus on violent crime and the influx of illegal firearms in our community.”

The Niagara Gazette quotes Fasco as adding, “As the warmer weather approaches, expect to see more enforcement initiatives like this.”

Niagara Falls Mayor Robert Restaino agreed, reportedly saying that “this recent arrest is reflective of our commitment to make our city safer.”

Recreational cannabis is now legal in New York, but there are limitations. Although there is no penalty for possessing less than 85 grams of cannabis, having 227 to 454 grams of weed is treated as a felony that carries a maximum punishment of four years’ incarceration and a fine of $6,400, notes information from the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws.

While Airbnb’s policy allows for cannabis, illegal activity is still off-limits. “Airbnb doesn’t allow illegal activities and other behaviours that could harm our community,” states the policy posted on the Canadian Airbnb site.

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Among other things, those illegal activities include human trafficking, in-call commercial sex work, commercial pornography, illicit drugs, drug production or manufacturing and drug distribution.

If it doesn’t violate any house rules, possession and personal consumption of cannabis is allowed. So is cannabis cultivation, if legally permissible and within local limits, if disclosed.

Members of an Australian family were likely more than a little surprised in 2016 when their vacation was interrupted by a police raid, according to USA Today. It was reported that a host forgot to mention that one rental property was housing a hydroponic marijuana grow room.

And The Mercury News reported in 2018 that a Washington man was charged with drug distribution after using an Airbnb to stash cannabis as part of his weed delivery operation.

Then there are the cases involving people partying at Airbnb properties and having the celebration broken up by police raids.

Last year in North Carolina, three people were cited for drugs-related charges after police busted a property that had been rented for a music shoot and, indeed, found guns and smelled burnt weed.

And a post-prom party three years ago in Florida took a decidedly deflating turn when police raided the home rented by a teenager and found a large amount of alcohol and drugs.

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