Calaveras County Sheriff's Office
San Andreas, CA – Three illegal marijuana grows recently raided by Calaveras enforcement officials resulted in two arrests and leads on two more.
Calaveras County Sheriff’s spokesperson Sgt. Greg Stark recounts details of the three warrant searches, which occurred over the past week-and-a-half as follows…
Marijuana Enforcement Team (MET) members on May 7 served one in Glencoe at a home in the 500 block of Three Cent Flat Road where deputies located and seized 1,285 marijuana plants and 20 grams of processed marijuana with a rough street value estimate of $1.7 million.
Two persons located on the scene, 73-year-old Kim Thi Huynh and 49-year-old John Allen King, were charged with illegal cultivation, possessing marijuana for sale, renting or leasing a drug house, and conspiracy to commit a crime. Evidence was collected to support the ongoing case.
The operation, consisted of several greenhouse type structures and a garage that had been converted into a growing room, was subsequently written up by code enforcement officials, who issued a notice of violation for hazardous electrical, junk and debris, and unpermitted additions.
Two Suspects Make Getaway On Foot
This past Tuesday, an unrelated search warrant was served in Railroad Flat within the 400 block of Blossom Lane, where MET members located and seized 2,405 marijuana plants, five ounces of processed marijuana, and saw two suspects flee the scene on foot upon their arrival. The haul carried a rough estimate of $2.4 million.
Stark notes that evidence was collected leading to their identities and the case is being forwarded to the Calaveras District Attorney for review and charging.
On Thursday, in San Andreas, the MET arrived with a search warrant in the 6000 block of Fricot City Road and subsequently seized 159 marijuana plants, roughly worth $159,000. While no subjects were found, evidence was collected to support further investigation.
Variables used to provide rough street value estimates are as follows: between $1,300 and $2,000 per plant and half-pound of pot when from an indoor grow; $1,000 to $1,500 per plant and pot per pound yielding from greenhouses; $700 to $1,000 per plant and processed pot per pound from outdoor operations although larger plants may be valued higher.
Stark encourages anyone with knowledge of illegal marijuana operations to call the Sheriff’s Anonymous Marijuana Tip Line at 209 754-6870.