$9 Million Marijuana Growing Operation Busted in Beaumont

BEAUMONT, CA — A massive, multimillion dollar marijuana growing operation was found— and subsequently shut down— this week in Beaumont, police said Wednesday.

According to the agency, officers served a search warrant in the 100 block of 3rd street on Tuesday only to discover a "large scale marijuana growing operation."

In total, police say they seized 2,864 marijuana plants— which have a street value of $8.5 million. Another half-million dollars worth of growing equipment was also seized, bringing the total value of the seizures to an estimated $9 million.

"Police suspect the illegal marijuana facility had been operational for about six months," Beaumont police said in a news release.

Three people were ultimately arrested in connection to the case, none of them local.

Los Angeles resident Zhi Wei Ke, 51, Alhambra resident Zhen Qiang Su, 46, and 29-year-old Jin Ying Chen of Brooklyn, New York were arrested on charges of possession of marijuana for sale and cultivation of marijuana, police said.

All three posted $100,000 bail and were released from jail Wednesday, online booking records indicate.

Anyone with information related to the case was asked to call Beaumont police at 951.769.8500.

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