Of all the drugs outlawed by the state of California, Marijuana is the most contentious. While state actions have legalized medical marijuana, Los Angeles criminal defense attorneys still defend countless individuals for sales, possession, use and distribution of the drug. Marijuana (a.k.a. cannabis or pot) is illegal in the state of California unless it is prescribed by a doctor who is licensed by the state. While some drug offenses may be challenged in state courts, Federal law bans marijuana in all forms, and whenever there are large drug busts in California, it is usually done by Federal authorities. However, in a recent case in Van Nuys, what started as a burglary call turned into a major marijuana growing bust.
Police responding to a burglary call at a large warehouse next to the Van Nuys Regional Airport found the purple-striped structure had been converted into a sophisticated marijuana growing, processing and packaging operation. Baled marijuana and some 2,000 well-tended plants - totaling several hundred pounds and valued at $1 million - were confiscated in the raid at the warehouse, which had been rigged with artificial lighting to grow the crop indoors. One person was detained and authorities are looking for others involved in the operation.
The hefty crop was found when police in a helicopter responded to calls about two men in their 20s possibly breaking into the roof of the warehouse. The pair were pulling packages out of the building through a hatch on the roof and throwing them into a car parked below. The duo sped off as the helicopter hovered overhead. Authorities then checked out the hatch on the building's roof and found the warehouse stuffed with the abandoned plants and lights to simulate the sun. It's unknown if the two spotted on the roof belonged to the drug operation or were stealing from it. Police do not know if the regional airport was used by the operators to transport their illicit product. The plants were grown, processed and packaged in the warehouse, said Officer Ana Aguirre, an LAPD spokeswoman.The warehouse offered a sizable spot to grow the plant.
In California, growing marijuana can lead to serious jail time. Police often look for certain indicators of locations that grow marijuana, including:
- absentee landlords
- extremely high electric bills (from the lights that are used in growing marijuana indoors)
