LOS ANGELES (AP) – The biggest unlawful marijuana bust in Los Angeles County’s historical past – bringing in 373,000 vegetation that might have been value $ 1 billion on the road – has worn out only a fraction of the unlawful cultivation within the Southern California excessive desert, the authorities mentioned Wednesday.
The issue is widespread in Antelope Valley north of Los Angeles, officers mentioned, and it has elevated enormously through the coronavirus pandemic. Armed cartel members interact in large unlawful crops, a few of which embrace dozen of greenhouses, and that are detrimental to the state’s authorized marijuana market.
A number of regulation enforcement companies carried out a 10-day operation in Antelope Valley final month that resulted in 131 arrests and the seizure of greater than 14,969 kilograms of harvested marijuana vegetation.
But the corporate solely destroyed 205 unlawful crops out of 500 aerial surveillance within the space noticed. Final 12 months, Sheriff Alex Villanueva mentioned solely 150 unlawful rising areas had been recognized within the Antelope Valley. There are extra in different neighboring counties.
The cartel members are threatening residents and stealing tens of millions of liters of water amid a extreme drought, Villanueva mentioned. The growers have poisoned streams and groundwater with dangerous pesticides and harmed wildlife and vegetation.
California largely legalized the sale of leisure marijuana in January 2018. However the black market is flourishing, partially as a result of excessive authorized marijuana taxes drive shoppers to search for higher offers.
Officers tried to tell apart between the Antelope Valley operations and the authorized market.
“This isn’t a struggle on the authorized hashish enterprise in California,” mentioned US MP Mike Garcia, who represents the area.
