A judge in Yolo County, California has imposed a multi-million-dollar fine on a cannabis cultivator who was found to have been growing hundreds of plants without a state license.
The Yolo County District Attorney’s office filed a civil complaint against Antioch resident Daniel Lopez in December of 2017 after an investigation revealed that the man was growing 600 cannabis plants in the county without a license. They had previously informed Lopez that he needed to obtain the proper permit before beginning any marijuana cultivation operations there.
“Yolo County law is clear that commercial cannabis is prohibited unless the cultivator holds a County license,” said District Attorney Reisig in a press release. “This judgment sends a strong message that these rules serve a purpose, one of which is to protect the environment.”
Lopez’s property had not been inspected for environmentally safe practices, and crops had not been tested for pesticides or other foreign substances.
According to the release, Lopez ignored court orders and hindered progress in the case before Judge Thomas Warriner issued terminating sanctions and a default ruling against him.
Reisig announced on Friday that Judge Kent O’Mara had ordered 28-year-old Lopez to pay $2,808,000 in penalties and abide by local cannabis laws.
