Petaluma Man Accused Of Running Illegal Distillery, Honey Oil Lab

PETALUMA, CA — Agents of the California Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control arrested a Petaluma man Thursday on suspicion of manufacturing and selling marijuana-infused alcohol and distilled spirits without a license.

ABC agents executed a search warrant Thursday at a home in the 500 block of Williams Drive in Petaluma, and took the resident, James Joseph Barbera Jr., 59, into custody.

"When agents arrived at the residence, they found both an illegal still and evidence of a butane honey oil lab operation with a large amount of finished honey oil products ready for sale," ABC Spokesperson John Carr said in a news release. "The illegal still was allegedly being used to make various high-proof distilled spirits products for sale."

It is alleged that prior to serving the warrant, ABC agents were able to purchase illegally manufactured distilled spirits, marijuana-infused distilled spirits, and hash oil from Barbera.

Butane honey oil lab operations, also known as a hash oil lab, commonly use butane —a flammable and odorless gas — to extract concentrated THC from marijuana.

"Butane honey oil lab operations can be extremely volatile and dangerous with the potential for a fire or explosion being an imminent threat to a surrounding community," Carr said.

The Petaluma police and fire departments, as well as city code enforcement officers, helped ABC agents safely secure the residence, city code enforcement tagged the home as uninhabitable because of the hazardous materials it is alleged were used to manufacture the controlled substance, the ABC said.

"These types of illegal operations are dangerous and when conducted in a residential setting, present a significant public safety hazard," ABC Director Eric Hirata said. "I am thankful that with assistance from our public safety partners we were able to identify and mitigate a significant threat to the community."