23 arrested in large marijuana grow in remote Calaveras County
The Calaveras County Sheriff’s Office arrested 23 people Tuesday when it served search warrants at three locations with illegal marijuana grows near West Point.
About 7,700 pounds of marijuana and other substances were seized and destroyed or taken as evidence, according to a press release from the Calaveras County Sheriff’s Office.
Investigators located about 1,500 pounds of processed marijuana, several hundred pounds of which were packaged to be shipped or transported.
A total of 1,048 plants were eradicated and just under $13,000 in cash and two guns was seized as evidence.
There were several structures that were built to store and process marijuana. Inside of those locations were additional large amounts of marijuana in various stages of being processed. Several hundred already harvested plants were found discarded down and embankment.
In addition to the marijuana, significant environmental issues were discovered including large piles of garbage, human waste in drainage that runs toward the Mokelumne River drainage and piles of chemical and fertilizer containers around the property.
Twelve people were located in a small residence off of Argonaut Lane and another 11 at a separate location nearby. All 23 were arrested in connection to the illegal marijuana grows, mostly for charges of cultivating marijuana, possession of marijuana for sale and conspiracy to cultivate transport and sell marijuana.
Other agencies that assisted in the service of the search warrant include the Tuolumne County Sheriff’s Office, California Department of Corrections, Cal Fire Law Enforcement, Calaveras County Code Enforcement. This case is still under investigation.
This story was originally published October 26, 2016 at 8:34 PM with the headline "23 arrested in large marijuana grow in remote Calaveras County."