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San Andreas, CA — The Calaveras County Sheriff’s Office has released a rundown of illegal marijuana busts it has made over the past three months.
The sheriff’s office is encouraging anyone with information about illegal grow sites to call the anonymous tip line at 209-754-6870.
The rundown, provided by the sheriff’s office, is below.
On January 31, the Calaveras County Sheriff’s Office Marijuana Enforcement Unit served a search warrant for illegal marijuana cultivation in the 6000 block of Michel Road in Mountain Ranch. At this location, marijuana was being cultivated inside a large metal shop structure on the property. Deputies seized 1,460 growing marijuana plants and over 20 pounds of processed marijuana. The estimated value of the seized marijuana exceeds $1,779,000. No suspects were located at the scene. Evidence was collected and the investigation is ongoing.
On February 10, a search warrant was served in the 11000 block of Camanche Parkway South in Wallace. The rooms on the main level of the residence had been converted to facilitate indoor marijuana cultivation and the rooms contained marijuana plants in various stages of maturity. In addition, a large detached garage with several interior rooms had also been converted and additional marijuana plants were located inside. Deputies seized 866 growing marijuana plants with an estimated value exceeding $1,039,000. Two suspects were placed under arrest. Jiejing Li, age 33 of Wallace, was booked into the Calaveras County Jail on charges of 11366.5(a) HS Maintaining a Drug House, 182(a)(1) PC Conspiracy to Commit Crime, 11359(b) HS Possession of Marijuana for Sale, 11358(c) HS Illegal Marijuana Cultivation. Yanzhong Li, age 42 of Oakland, was booked into the Calaveras County Jail on charges of 11366.5(a) HS Maintaining a Drug House, 182(a)(1) PC Conspiracy to Commit Crime, 11359(b) HS Possession of Marijuana for Sale, 11358(c) Illegal Marijuana Cultivation, and 273.6(a) PC Violation of Domestic Violence Court Order. The investigation is ongoing.
On March 4, a search warrant was served in the 3000 block of Hartvickson Lane in Valley Springs. Deputies seized 835 growing marijuana plants and several pounds of processed marijuana with an estimated value exceeding $1,088.000. Deputies discovered hazards such as severe mold and electrical wiring hazards which posed a risk of fire. Calaveras County Code Enforcement Officers responded to the scene and “red tagged” the residence for violations. No suspects were present at the scene at the time of the search warrant. Evidence was collected and the investigation is ongoing.
On March 9, two unrelated search warrants were served in Valley Springs. The first site was located in the 6000 block of Jenny Lind Road. Deputies seized 6,152 growing marijuana plants with an estimated value exceeding $7,997,000. The residence had been entirely converted to facilitate indoor marijuana cultivation. Investigators believe this site was being utilized as a nursery for other illegal cultivation sites. Severe mold and electrical hazards were discovered, and Calaveras County Code Enforcement Officers “red tagged” the residence for violations. The electrical service was disconnected by the electrical provider due to hazards. Two suspects were contacted at the scene. Xiaodong Mei, age 35 of Jenny Lind, was booked into the Calaveras County Jail on charges of 11358(c) HS Illegal Marijuana Cultivation, 11359(b) HS Possession of Marijuana for Sale, and 11366 HS Maintaining a Drug House. Xiaowen Mei, age 28 of Sacramento, was issued a citation on charges of 11358(c) HS Illegal Marijuana Cultivation and 11359(b) HS Possession of Marijuana for Sale. The second site was located in the 5000 block of Pleasant Oaks Road in Valley Springs. Deputies seized 659 growing marijuana plants and over 39 pounds of processed marijuana with an estimated value exceeding $908,000. A large shop building at this location had been converted into a sophisticated indoor marijuana cultivation site. Xing Hue Cao, age 22 of San Francisco, was issued a citation on charges of 11358(c) HS Illegal Marijuana Cultivation and 11359(b) HS Possession of Marijuana for Sale. The shop was red-tagged due to unsafe conditions and the power was disconnected by the electrical provider.
The investigations into each of these sites are ongoing.
Written by BJ Hansen.
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