On the 23rd of May, 2022, law enforcement officers brought charges against eleven suspected individuals for being involved in a massive underground cannabis farm in the high desert of California.
Eleven suspected individuals have had charges filed against themselves by the police department in San Bernardino County. This was after a massive underground cannabis farm was discovered in the high desert of California.
During the press conference on the 23rd of May 2022, the sheriff, Shannon Dicus, and the District Attorney of San Bernardino, Jason Anderson, gave a full report. They announced that the suspected individuals are facing charges of misdemeanor possession of cannabis for distribution, infringing environmental statutes, and felony cultivation of cannabis.
During the raid, several cannabis products were seized from the underground pot farm and the value has been pegged to $9 million by enforcement officials. However, in recent times, prosecutors and the police have been criticized for unrealistically inflating the value of seized products.
The charges filed against the suspects are linked to a massive underground illegal cannabis farm in Newberry Springs, and the operation of a processing storehouse. That's not all, they are also linked with the manufacturing, distribution, and selling of cannabis according to the report from enforcement bodies.
California Property Raided Twice
This won't be the first time the California property has been raided. According to the sheriff's department arrest records, the California property was first served a search warrant in August 2022.
During that period, a total of eight greenhouses were discovered by the police. The greenhouses hid around 2,000 marijuana plants and there were over 100 pounds of refined cannabis on the property. Cheng Lin, the owner of the property during that period, faced a charge of felony conspiracy. The individuals who were caught during the rais at the said property were also charged with several offenses.
According to prosecutors, it is believed that Lin put the property for sale after the first raid, selling the house to a second person called Qiaoyan Liu. Liu is also facing a charge of felony conspiracy. On the 3rd of March 2022, enforcement officers raided the property for a second time. Officers, together with the cannabis enforcement team of the sheriff’s department discovered a huge shipping container during the second raid. This container called a Conex box was found next to a resident at the said location.
Reports from the Victorville Daily Press suggest that the statement by the police explained how deputies searched the Conex box, discovering that the floor was open. The police then descended into an underground bunker to meet a big surprise. The bunker is said to be 60 feet in width and 230 feet in length. It was built with more than 30 Conex boxes which were about 15 feet below the ground.
The underground farm covered approximately 14,000 feet with over 6,000 illegal marijuana plants. About 5,000 gallons of fuel were also found to be used to power the generators to cure the plant and air out the facility.
The prosecutors also affirmed that processed cannabis was discovered at the property of Cheng Lin, including a commercial lease agreement that bears the name Cheng Lin. Regarding the commercial building, several items used for cannabis cultivation and farming were discovered in the building. More than 200 pounds of cannabis products were also found on the property.
Felony Charges Filed
As it stands, the district attorney is pursuing a felony upgrade for charges based on illicit cannabis cultivation. He believes there should be stricter penalties for these kinds of operations that cause harm to the environment. The eleven suspects have been charged with illicit discharge of waste and with total negligence and intentionally causing crucial harm to land and various public resources.
Anderson has made assertions that the case is a pointer to the response of law enforcement to illicit cannabis farms in the state. He also pledged to confiscate the property from land owners used to illegally cultivate cannabis. The district attorney on the 23rd of May affirmed that once law enforcement can confirm that the properties contain nuisance, the property will be taken up.
The attorney went on to say that if the individuals can't rectify the prosperity via the ethical sentence(s) as it applies in the specific case, then they will collaborate with the country to confiscate the property which will then be sold. He added that the taxpayers shouldn't be responsible for the illicit activity carried out on the property.
Anderson also claimed that implementing the regulations against unlicensed marijuana farmers protects licensed farmers. And that should be so considering these licensed farmers have invested their time and effort to earn the license to operate legally.
Anderson added that unlicensed cannabis growers are only creating unfair competition in the cannabis industry that is trying to get regulated. He also compared illegal cannabis farming operations to a fake Amazon distribution warehouse.
In Anderson's words, if there's an illegal Amazon distribution and selling take products from an underground warehouse that would be difficult to compete against. He added that Jeff Bezos wouldn't even be able to compete against such.
A total of 8 suspects arrested during the second raid have been charged as well as 5 suspects who have already been arrested and charged. The police have also handed out rest warrants to additional six individuals who at the time of this writing have not been apprehended.
Conclusion
The illicit cannabis cultivation and transactions has been a major problem for the legal cannabis market across cannabis legalized states in the United States. To curb these illegal activities, law enforcement agents must stay at the forefront of regulation and enforcement like California agencies have done.
California law enforcement officials are setting the pace for other cannabis legalized states as regards enforcement of the law. The constant reports of arrests and seizures carried out by California law enforcement officials is a testament that they are doing a great job.
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