How often do they bust closet grows? As often as knowledge and resources will allow.
How often do they detect closet grows? Would be impossible to say because, after all, there hidden.
Of the closet grows that do get busted, what are the common threads? Good question!!!
Lets assume your a hermit and have no one to tell about your garden or sell to even if you wanted. Lets assume you have taken steps to eliminate odor, disperse heat, muffle sound, and properly dispose of trash. Lets assume a closet grow doesn't use over 1000wts. What does that leave? Random emergencies like fire, water pipe bursting, ect. Being followed home from the grow store. Anything else?
My mentor claimed the 12/12 pattern can be detected (back in the 90's) and with the new smart grids that seems a possibility, however in all the cases Ive read involving electric use leading to a bust, they have always sighted the amount used and not any sort of pattern.
I think that small closet grows are likely to escape the attention of feds, and tend to be busted by local/state ops. In which case, do they have the resources to go fishing for minnows?
Can anyone offer more than speculation?