Santa Barbara law enforcement shut down an unlicensed cultivation operation in Santa Maria last week, seizing and destroying hundreds of thousands of cannabis plants during the process.
Following a criminal investigation regarding unlicensed cannabis fields hidden among other crops, detectives from the Sana Barbara Sheriff’s Special Investigations Bureau executed a search warrant at a property in the 2700 block of Telephone Road in Santa Maria on October 29.
Investigators discovered that a Santa Maria resident, who has not been identified, may have provided the county with false information to obtain a temporary cannabis license.
According to investigators, the subject was cultivating around 400,000 cannabis plants in various stages of maturity at the site though he did not have a state-issued cultivation license.
Members of the Sheriff’s Criminal Investigations Bureau, Sheriff’s Special Enforcement Team, and California Fish and Wildlife assisted investigators in the eradication process, which was the largest to date, and took two days to finish due to the high number of plants.
The Sheriff’s Office is requesting that the Santa Barbara County District Attorney’s Office review potential charges concerning illegal cultivation and perjury, though fines and permanent ineligibility for a cannabis license in the future are the most likely consequences.
