Can you find your child's secret stash container?

HOUSTON – You know your kids better than anyone else.

You love them, you live with them.

So, would you know if they were hiding illegal drugs in your own home, inside their bedrooms?

Before you answer, you need to know that there is a new, internet marketplace out there where drug addiction experts say kids are buying all kinds of ingenious stashing devices that are specifically designed to help them hide drugs right under your nose.

They are cheap, usually around $10, easy to order, and they look exactly like every day, household items.

Here’s a list of just some of these stashing devices

  • Fake lint rollers
  • Fake soda pop cans
  • Fake plants
  • Fake bottles of water
  • Fake cans of powdered cleanser
  • Fake belts with hidden compartments
  • Fake books
  • Fake hair brushes
  • Fake watches
  • Fake deodorant sticks for men

“These are items can be used to hide marijuana, pills, powders. They look absolutely identical to the real products. You cannot tell the difference," says Patrick Hagler with The Council On Recovery in Houston.

To find out just how difficult these stash devices are to find, KPRC 2 Investigates enlisted the help of two real-life moms with teenage children.

Ann Crane, of Kingwood, has two children, ages 16 and 19. Elizabeth Shaw, also from Kingwood, has three kids, a 12-year-old daughter, 15-year-old son and a 16-year-old daughter.

Now, with both mom's permission and with both waiting out of sight in different parts of their homes, we begin planting fake drugs, cilantro, vitamins and sugar, inside stashing devices and then placing these stash devices all over their kids' bedrooms.

Both women spent about 45 minutes diligently searching their children’s bedrooms, bathrooms and closets.

Several times, the women actually picked up and studied several of the stashing devices that we planted and still had no idea that there were fake drugs hidden inside.

In the end, Crane found one of the 10 items. Shaw found three of the 10 items.

“It is driving me crazy that I can’t find these hidden, fake drug, stash devices, because I pride myself on knowing exactly what my kids have in their rooms. Not to mention the fact that I just cleaned these rooms. I was just in here," Shaw said.

“I am stunned, I had so much trouble. This is crazy," Crane said.

A crazy lesson for all parents, on the types of items to look for, if you suspect your child is using drugs and hiding them in plain sight inside your own home.

“Parents need to realize and be aware of what their children are doing. Because if they are using drugs, they’re hiding it someplace," Hagler said.


About the Author:

Emmy-winning investigative reporter, insanely competitive tennis player, skier, weightlifter, crazy rock & roll drummer (John Bonham is my hero). Husband to Veronica and loving cat father to Bella and Meemo.