Police seize 2,500 marijuana plants

Discussion in 'Marijuana News' started by Tihspeed, Apr 27, 2012.

  1. 1,000 pot plants confiscated in Oakland bust | Video | abc7news.com

    In what may be the city's largest pot bust ever, police confiscated 2,500 marijuana plants and an additional 50 pounds of ready-to-sell weed with a total street value of more than $1 million during a Wednesday night raid at an East Oakland warehouse.
    One commander said the grow and harvesting operation "was set up like a factory."
    Ten men and a woman linked to the large and well-fortified operation were arrested in the 9:05 p.m. raid at 925 89th Ave., when SWAT officers used flash bang grenades to enter the building, police said. Their names were not released by police, who said the investigation is ongoing.
    In addition to the marijuana, $40,000 in cash and six guns -- including two assault weapons, a shotgun and three pistols, two ballistic helmets, two sets of body armor, a bullet resistant face mask and boxes of ammunition were also found.
    Plus, interior doors were fortified with reinforced steel, and it was outfitted with a sophisticated security system that included surveillance cameras in almost every room as well as monitors, police said. Living quarters were also discovered.
    Assistant police Chief Anthony Toribio said police don't know yet where the marijuana was destined, but "it's clear it was going to be distributed."
    One of the suspects was arrested outside the warehouse, apparently making a pizza run; a pistol was found in his car, police said.
    While searching the warehouse, police found growing,
    drying and packaging rooms as well as lighting and ventilation systems and other items used in the cultivation of marijuana.Current and retired police officers could not remember a larger marijuana bust in the city.
    The site is not a city-sanctioned operation for the cultivation of medical marijuana, police said.
    The warehouse sits in an industrial area of East Oakland, across the street from a busy towing facility.
    The streets and an adjacent vacant lot are strewed with refuse from illegal dumping.
    It's not the first time police have found marijuana at the warehouse. In December 2009, while responding to an insecure premise call, officers found a door ajar and an illegal growing operation there with 1,000 to 1,500 marijuana plants, police said.
    Crime Reduction Team officers had been monitoring the warehouse for a long time before Wednesday night's raid because of suspicious activity there and got enough evidence to obtain a search warrant, police said.
    The 11 people arrested were booked on suspicion of possessing marijuana for sale and cultivation of marijuana, as well as possession of assault weapons and possession of assault weapons in connection with a felony.
    The plants seized were in different stages of growth, and the marijuana was described by officers to be of "very good quality."
    A burglary occurred at the warehouse Thursday morning after police left. Thieves apparently took two or three bags of marijuana "scraps" left behind.
    Later, two men were arrested about 3 p.m. Thursday trying to burglarize the building, police said.
    Toribio said such illegal grows can be public safety hazards. For one, such a grow can be the root of burglaries, robberies, shootings and even killings as police have seen at other sites in the past.
    Also, some grow sites use pirated electricity and faulty equipment that has led to major fires. "They are a significant public safety risk," he said.
    Wednesday's raid involved crime reduction team and problem-solving officers and the department's SWAT team. The federal Drug Enforcement Agency was contacted, and it will be decided later whether the suspects will be prosecuted in state or federal court, although authorities are leaning toward federal court.
    "The federal punishment is greater than the state's," Toribio said.


    Police seize 2,500 marijuana plants in raid on East Oakland warehouse - Inside Bay Area
     
  2. that video at the top makes you cry.... fuck this sucks
     

  3. Ehh... Dudes had guns and all I can't side with em.
     
  4. True, but if we didn't have prohibition, they wouldn't need them.
     
  5. Idiot was busted because he left a gun in his car... IN THE DAMN OPEN!!!

    i bet that guy is gonna get knocked off for that mistake, id be pissed if i was the owner of that setup lol

    kinda makes me wish i had my own place so i could have 2-4 plants growing for personal use and helping out very close friends... one day.
     
  6. I wish I could have seen this op while it was up and running. It sounds like these weren't some very nice people though with all the guns and body armor though, so I don't feel that bad for them. Its no wonder they were that armed though with that many break-ins after the police busted down their gate, you can't just call the police if you're illegal grow-op is getting robbed I guess.
     
  7. yeah i was going to say cartel opp ???? kinda sound's like "el dorado" in pineapple express lol gun's and a whole lotta plant's
     
  8. tax dollars at work.
     

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