Crime & Safety
Palos Verdes Man Involved In Illegal Marijuana Grow: Police
More than 1,500 marijuana plants were destroyed by investigators in an operation that spanned across three counties.
PALOS VERDES, CA – Nearly 1,600 marijuana plants were seized by Santa Barbara County sheriff's in an illegal marijuana farm that spanned across three counties and involved a Palos Verdes man, the Santa Barbara County Sheriff's Office announced Wednesday.
Investigators from multiple agencies served a series of search warrants in Palos Verdes, Nipomo and Santa Barbara County involving the illegal cultivation of marijuana, officials said. Investigators claim a 62-year-old Palos Verdes resident was involved in the marijuana operation located in the Tepusquet area.
They served a search warrant in the 500 block of Via Estrada Drive in Palos Verdes, and investigators seized numerous documents related to the illegal cultivation sites, and evidence of a false document filed with the county regarding the marijuana farm, Sheriff's officials said.
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Simultaneously, investigators served search warrants at properties located in the 7900 block of Blazing Saddle Drive and the 1800 block of Tepusquet Road. At these locations, investigators found a large marijuana cultivation site and an additional site that was being prepared to cultivate marijuana, the press release said.
Authorities uprooted more than 1,400 marijuana plants. A follow-up search warrant in the 800 block of Chata Street in Nipomo led investigators to a small amount of heroin and more marijuana cultivation-related documents, according to the Sheriff's office.
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While destroying the 1,400 marijuana plants found, investigators saw a neighboring property in the 1800 block of Tepusquet Road in Santa Maria with an illegal marijuana farm. After conducting an investigation, they seized an additional 174 marijuana plants, the press release said.
The Sheriff's office will be requesting the District Attorney’s Office review the information for potential charges related to the illegal marijuana cultivation and perjury, based on evidence found during their investigation.
Photos courtesy of the Santa Barbara County Sheriff's Office
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