November 8, 2021 - The Stanislaus County Sheriff’s Office is pleased to release the results of a major weeks-long joint marijuana eradication operation which took place between Tuesday, October 26th and Friday, November 5th, 2021. Spearheaded largely by the Sheriff’s Office Community Resource Unit (CRU), which is comprised of a supervising sergeant and seven sheriff’s deputies, the operation targeted nearly 30 confirmed outdoor and indoor illicit marijuana grows throughout the county. This was the second operation which originated back in May over the Memorial Day holiday weekend.
Our efforts were the culmination of a longstanding, months-long investigation into those who choose to disregard state, federal and local statutes regarding the cultivation of marijuana cannabis. Our agency partnered with several other agencies to make the operation run smoothly. All locations were the subject of search warrants approved by our local judges.
We were assisted by Northern California teams from the Bureau of Cannabis Control, specifically the Cannabis Enforcement Unit, as well as Stanislaus County Public Works, Stanislaus Animal Services, Turlock and Modesto Irrigation Districts, Riverbank, Patterson and Stanislaus Co Code Enforcement, Riverbank and Patterson Public Works, PG&E, California Department of Fish & Wildlife, Sheriff's Office Special Investigations, Air Support, SWAT, Fusion Center Crime Analyst/Statistical tracking team, and Waterford, Patterson, Hughson and Riverbank Police Services.
The final statistical data of the operation included the following:
13,014 eradicated marijuana plants, 7,233 of which were fully budded marijuana plants, 3,233 plants were hauled off entirely, 10 full grow demolitions were completed by county Public Works, 1,493 plants were young clones, 2,656 pounds of fully processed marijuana plants were recovered, seven firearms were seized, $8,309 in cash was taken, 16 people were either physically arrested, booked or issued citations for various new law violations, 18 places had their power shut-off by their respective local utility companies, 17 code enforcement referrals were made, and no warrants resulted in Child or Adult Protective Services referrals for unsafe living conditions.
The total estimated street value the eradicated marijuana was nearly $20.4 million.
We could not have successfully completed this large-scale, complex, and well-choreographed operation without the help of the agencies who participated. Our office would like to remind the public of the dangers which exist from illegally growing or cultivating marijuana.
Oftentimes, grows are the targets of violent, armed home invasion robberies, shootings, aggravated assaults, kidnappings, and/or burglaries.
Other dangers include the environmental fallout from toxic pesticides saturating the soil, gaseous fumes infiltrating nearby structures and fungal molds growing unabated in heat or high humidity. Utilities are often stolen from other customers. Furthermore, people are trafficked from outside the United States as a less-expensive option to provide human capital needed to tend to the illegal crop.
The state and the county have specific guidelines, tracking mechanisms, revenue collection means, and laws which must be followed for a legitimate or regulated business to engage in the commerce of legalized marijuana. Each of these 29 locations targeted chose to ignore these mandates.
We have taken the appropriate marijuana samples for evidentiary purposes, incinerated the rest, and have concluded our preliminary criminal investigation. We will now begin to refer these cases to the Stanislaus County District Attorney’s Office for review.
Local law enforcement agencies are committed to maintaining a higher quality of living and safety for all our neighbors. These types of grows are one of the most frequent community complaints received from our residents. The dangers posed by black market marijuana grows make our neighborhoods all less safe. We thank all of those involved in this most recent marijuana eradication operation.
Source: Stanislaus County Sheriff's Office
