1.5 Tons Of Marijuana Discovered East Of Murrieta

Murrieta CA

19 February, 2021

12:09 PM

Description

SAGE, CA — For the second time this week, the Riverside County Sheriff's Department announced a large bust on illegal marijuana operations in an unincorporated area east of Murrieta. On Thursday, sheriff's deputies alongside Riverside County Code Enforcement, California Department of Fish and Wildlife, and the California Department of Food and Agriculture served six marijuana cultivation-related search warrants at various locations in Sage. "During the service, approximately 4,576 marijuana plants were eradicated, and 1,379 pounds of processed marijuana was collected, for a total combined weight of approximately one and a half tons," according to sheriff's Sgt. Benjamin Medina. Three firearms were also collected for evidence — two California-prohibited rifles and one handgun — and two small bags of live ammunition, Medina reported. However, no arrests were made during the operation. Around 4:30 p.m. Tuesday, a search warrant was also served at a private residence in the 35000 block of Lynch Road in Sage in connection with an illegal marijuana cultivation operation there, according to sheriff's Sgt. Michael Yarbrough. During that investigation, deputies found several outbuildings containing marijuana plants, a cannabis edibles manufacturing operation, a large cache of illegal weapons and over $700,000 in cash, according to Yarbrough. No arrests were announced. Employees of the operation were detained, questioned and later released, Yarbrough said. The Riverside County Sheriff's Department said it has "a zero-tolerance policy for these offenses."