October 10, 2021 - BHO labs are highly dangerous facilities used to extract THC through the use of butane. The Merced County Sheriff’s Office is committed to locating, investigating, and dismantling butane honey oil labs, which create a real potential for fires, explosions, injuries, and deaths. A perfect example of the dangers of a BHO lab would be the September 20, 2021, explosion of a residence in the area of Colma Avenue and Wildcat Drive in the city of Merced that killed one person who was in the house when it exploded.

Another BHO Lab was located on October 7, 2021, at about 11:30 A.M. in the 400 block of Quinley Avenue in Merced. The Merced County Sheriff’s SET Team served a marijuana search warrant at a residence in Merced resulting in the discovery of a BHO extraction lab in a barn. Merced County Deputies detained seven people and the Merced Area Gang and Narcotics Enforcement Team (MAGNET) arrived on scene to assist with the decontamination, processing, and dismantling of the lab.

During the cleanup of the lab, the SET Team and MAGNET located at least 3,600 pounds of finished marijuana product, 125 marijuana plants drying, and at least 5 pounds of concentrated cannabis. The homeowner, 37-year-old Joshua Alfonso, took responsibility for the lab and was arrested on several felony charges including child endangerment. A 3-year-old male and an 11-year-old female were turned over to CPS.

Source & photo credit: Merced County Sheriff's Office