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By: Buz Deliere | March 1, 2023
In a recent blow against illegal marijuana distribution, San Bernardino police executed five search warrants that resulted in the confiscation of an estimated $2.5 million worth of plants. This major bust serves as yet another example of law enforcement's commitment to combatting drug trafficking activity within their community.
A statewide law enforcement strike targeting illegal marijuana operations uncovered a plethora of major grows and distribution networks, according to authorities.
Over 6,500 plants were destroyed, with more than 800 pounds of cannabis recovered and over $2,000 in cash seized according to local authorities.
Police recently seized a vast cache of illicit cannabis plants from multiple warehouses, with an estimated street value totaling $2.5 million dollars. Photos capturing the bust depict the massive scale of these illicit operations.
Authorities stated, “Officers also located a functional and pressurized butane honey oil extraction lab that was secured and later dismantled by the San Bernardino County IRNET team.”
In a multi-agency effort, San Bernardino Code Enforcement, San Bernardino Animal Control, and various California state departments collaborated in conjunction with the U.S. Army National Guard and Southern California Edison to crack down on illegal grows within their jurisdiction.
In the early part of 2022, California law enforcement implemented a sweeping initiative to tackle illegal marijuana cultivation in their state. The joint effort between local authorities and the CA Department of Justice's Campaign Against Marijuana Planting (CAMP) resulted in an astounding seizure: over 1 million cannabis plants as well as 200,000 lbs worth of illegally processed weed.
California authorities have conducted a series of 449 operations across the state in order to eradicate illegal cannabis cultivation, uncovering 184 weapons and 67,000 pounds worth of cannabis grow equipment and infrastructure items such as dams, water lines, and hazardous chemicals.
Rob Bonta, California's Attorney General, has acknowledged the state’s largest-in-the-world legal cannabis industry. Nonetheless, he warns that illegal and unlicensed grows remain a serious concern with dire consequences for local environs and human health alike. Karen Mouritsen, California State Director for the Bureau of Land Management asserts such activity is “devastating” to natural resources as well as public land users around the Golden State.
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