California is now growing weed…underground? Police arrest huge underground cannabis cultivation

On May 23, 2022, law enforcement officials filed charges against 11 suspects for involvement in a massive underground cannabis farm in the California high desert.

Charges have been filed against 11 suspects by the San Bernardino County Police Department. This comes after a massive underground cannabis farm was discovered in the high desert of California.

During the press conference on May 23, 2022, Sheriff Shannon Dicus and San Bernardino District Attorney Jason Anderson gave a full report. They announced that the suspects will be charged with illegal possession of cannabis for distribution, violation of environmental laws and criminal cultivation of cannabis.

During the raid, several cannabis products from the underground pot farm were seized and law enforcement officials valued them at $9 million. Recently, however, prosecutors and police have been criticized for unrealistically inflating the value of confiscated products.

The charges against the suspects are related to a huge underground illegal cannabis farm in Newberry Springs and operation of a processing warehouse. That’s not all, according to the law enforcement agency’s report, they are also involved in the manufacture, distribution and sale of cannabis.

California property searched twice

This won’t be the first time the California property has been searched. A search warrant was first served on the California property in August 2022, according to sheriff’s department arrest records.

During this time, a total of eight greenhouses were discovered by the police. The greenhouses hid around 2,000 marijuana plants and the property contained over 100 pounds of refined cannabis. Cheng Lin, the owner of the property at the time, was charged with conspiracy. The people arrested during the raids on the said property have also been charged with multiple offences.

According to prosecutors, Lin is believed to have put the property up for sale after the initial raid and sold the house to a second person named Qiaoyan Liu. Liu also faces charges of conspiracy. On March 3, 2022, law enforcement officers searched the property for a second time. During the second raid, officers along with the sheriff’s department cannabis enforcement team discovered a giant shipping container. Dubbed the Conex box, this container was found next to a resident at the said location.

Reports from the Victorville Daily Press suggest the police statement explained how deputies searched the Conex box and found the bottom was open. The police then descended into an underground bunker for a big surprise. The bunker is said to be 60 feet wide and 230 feet long. It was built using more than 30 Conex boxes located about 15 feet underground.

The underground farm covered about 14,000 feet with over 6,000 illegal marijuana plants. It was also determined that about 5,000 gallons of fuel were used to power the generators to heal the facility and to ventilate the facility.

Prosecutors also confirmed that processed cannabis was discovered on Cheng Lin’s property, including a commercial lease bearing the Cheng Lin name. Regarding the commercial building, several items used for growing and farming cannabis were discovered in the building. More than 200 pounds of cannabis products were also found on the property.

criminal charges filed

Currently, the District Attorney is pursuing a felony upgrade for illegal cannabis cultivation charges. He believes that such environmentally damaging operations should be punished more severely. The 11 suspects were charged with illegal waste disposal and total negligence, as well as willfully causing significant damage to land and various public resources.

Anderson has claimed the case is indicative of law enforcement’s response to illegal cannabis farms in the state. He also promised to confiscate the property of landowners used to illegally grow cannabis. The District Attorney confirmed on May 23 that once law enforcement can confirm the properties contain harassment, the property will be confiscated.

The attorney went on to say that if the individuals are unable to restore prosperity through the ethical judgments applicable in the specific case, they will cooperate with the country to confiscate the property, which will then be sold. He added that taxpayers shouldn’t be responsible for the illegal activities on the property.

Anderson also claimed that implementing the regulations against unlicensed marijuana farmers protects licensed farmers. And it should be, considering these licensed farmers put in their time and effort to get licensed to operate legally.

Anderson added that unlicensed cannabis breeders only create unfair competition in the cannabis industry, which is trying to be regulated. He also compared illegal cannabis growers to a fake Amazon distribution warehouse.

In Anderson’s words, when there is an illegal Amazon distribution and sale, you are taking products from an underground warehouse that are difficult for you to compete with. 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. Police have also placed rest orders on six other people who have not been arrested at the time of writing.

Conclusion

Illegal cannabis cultivation and transactions have been a major problem for the legal cannabis market in the cannabis legal states of the United States. To curb these illegal activities, law enforcement agencies must remain at the forefront of regulation and enforcement, as California authorities have done.

California law enforcement officials are setting the pace for other cannabis-legalized states in enforcing the law. The constant reports of arrests and seizures by California law enforcement officials are a testament to the fact that they are doing a great job.

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