Couple who rented out home on Airbnb say guests turned it into a meth lab

OMAHA, Neb. (WOWT/Gray News) – While visiting their family out of state for the holidays, Daniel and Jocelyn Medrano offered their home in Omaha, Nebraska, as a vacation rental on Airbnb.

For about two years, the couple has rented out their house to help pay for travel costs during the holiday season.

During their stay in Florida this year, they received a booking request they couldn’t pass up.

“Probably one of the best bookings we have ever got, an 11-day stay,” Daniel Medrano said. “We were super excited because that right there paid for our trip to Florida.”

The Medranos said the Airbnb guest paid through instant booking. However, they say communication was difficult throughout the process, and the man didn’t show up on the property until the second day of his booking.

The couple kept a close eye on their home through surveillance cameras they had installed outside a month prior.

Once the guest arrived, trouble soon followed.

“All of a sudden, he brings two or three other men to the house that are not on the reservation,” Jocelyn Medrano said. “So, then I have to message him, and I am like, ‘Hey you cannot do that. That is against Airbnb policy.’”

The couple could only watch helplessly as the men would leave and come back with more suspicious items.

The guests were seen on surveillance camera hauling utility fans, cooking pots and other objects through the front door.

The couple also watched in horror as one of the men brought in four big bags of white powder.

The Medranos hoped, at best, that the Airbnb guests were having a house party.

But their worst fear became a reality – the guests were turning their home into a meth lab, which police later confirmed.

Daniel Medrano said neighbors began reaching out, asking about the situation, which prompted the couple to contact authorities a few times.

Eventually, a detective with Omaha police responded and got to work. After the couple gave their blessing, police set up surveillance outside the home.

“They got into a vehicle and left, so we ended up following that vehicle and doing a traffic stop on them,” said Lt. Steve Fornoff, with the OPD Narcotics Unit. “We utilized our K-9 handlers. They came on scene, they ran a dog around the car and got a positive alert for narcotics.” 

Police said they discovered that the Airbnb guests produced more than 100 pounds of meth and a few pounds of liquid meth inside the home in under a week.

All three men were arrested on various drug charges. They are being held on $500,000 bonds.

The Medranos were relieved when the suspects were arrested, but unfortunately, their nightmare wasn’t over.

Their house was trashed, and it’s going to cost them a fortune to clean up.

Chemical dust was left all over the house. The inside was covered in a strong smell of ammonia, and shards of meth were stuck in the carpet where their two children play.

“They used our bedroom as the drying room, same with my daughter’s room. They would dry the crystal meth there,” Daniel Medrano said. “They cook the crystal meth in our kitchen and then use our bedroom for drying.”

The couple said their home is unlivable and requires a deep clean, leaving them with a massive cleaning bill.

“Our very first preliminary estimate they gave us – without replacing furniture, without replacing paint or anything – would be over $26,000,” Jocelyn Medrano said.

The family said they won’t be returning home for three or four months. They are working with Airbnb and contractors to begin rebuilding their house.

For now, they are staying with friends.

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