Family's stay at Airbnb ends when police raid the property, discover marijuana grow room

Jelisa Castrodale | USA TODAY

An Australian family's vacation was interrupted by a raid by armed police officers, all because their Airbnb host forgot to mention one of the rental property's more unique amenities: a hydroponic marijuana grow room. Dieter Winkler was cooking sausages on the grill when eight officers with guns and crowbars pulled up to the Queensland home, kicking the door down and questioning the family for five straight hours.

Winkler, his partner, and their five children were barely one day into what was supposed to be an 11-day stay on Australia's Gold Coast when the cops interrupted their vacation (and their barbecue). Winkler told The Daily Telegraph:

"The cops piled in on a mission. They didn’t know who we were so it was quite mortifying. They didn’t know we were innocent, so it wasn’t a friendly reception."

The Melbourne-based dad said that the homeowner, a 40-year-old woman, had blocked the door to the room with a bookcase, telling them that they shouldn't enter it because it had electrical issues. Despite seeing round-the-clock lights on in the room and hearing running water behind the door, they didn't question her. When the officers broke the door down, they discovered eight marijuana plants and a hydroponic growing system.

The Winklers, who had paid $1,800 AUD ($1,255 USD) for the Airbnb rental, were forced to shell out another $2,600 ($1,815) to find alternative accommodations. To its credit, Airbnb has refunded their rental fees and offered to reimburse them for the extra money they spent, as well. In a statement, the company said:

"The activity is illegal and absolutely does not reflect the views of Airbnb. We have taken the house off our website and have fully refunded the family."

According to a statement from Acting Senior Sergeant Michael Corby, the as-yet-unidentified homeowner has a court date in February and is facing charges of unlawfully producing a dangerous drug.