On Wednesday morning, state agents in East Contra Costa County conducted the latest in a series of raids on cannabis farms in the region.
Earlier this year, the Department of Cannabis Control shared videos of several arrests in Antioch, where it says there is more illegal marijuana growing than anywhere else in California outside of Los Angeles.
Last month, a group of agencies in Fairfield announced that they had seized more than 8,000 plants from eight properties over the course of several months.
Wednesday’s raid took place at two homes – one in Discovery Bay and one in Brentwood – owned by the same person.
The Department of Cannabis Control said they have one thing in common with the other grow houses they recently raided: they are all owned by Chinese nationals.
‘Police! Search warrant! Demand access!’ officers shouted as there was a pounding on the door of a Discovery Bay home early Wednesday morning.
“The houses that are being used are being used because it is a small town in America. No one suspects this would happen here,” said Kevin McInerney of DCC, who handles enforcement.
Investigators say the homeowner, his wife and his three young children lived in one half of the house. The other half was expanded with an advanced growing operation in which almost 400 plants were spread over different rooms with grow lights, fans and a huge drip system.
DCC investigators say the common thread in all these cases is that the cultivation is linked to Chinese crime syndicates, which have essentially taken over the illegal marijuana market in California – something that was once controlled by the Mexican cartels.
“There was a shift from public farms that were primarily managed by the cartels to much more residential farms,” McInerney said.
DCC officers say the owner of the home robbed in Discovery Bay on Wednesday morning is Chinese and also owned another home in Brentwood. That was the team’s next stop.
‘Police! Search warrant! Demand access!’ the officers shouted again. The front door was locked with 2x4s. Once inside, officers discovered that the entire house had been turned into one enormous grow room, complete with reinforced windows and plywood blocking the doors.
The bedrooms were covered in reflective insulation and grow light wires ran throughout the house. It also had irrigation systems and dozens of gallons of pesticides and fertilizers.
Officers said the plant had just been harvested. Based on its size, it was probably worth a significant amount of money on the black market.
“The entities involved in the illicit cannabis market are also involved in criminal activity,” McInerney said.
Neighbors said they never suspected anything illegal was happening.
“This house right here is one of the quietest houses in the neighborhood. I’ve lived here for six years and I’ve never seen anyone come in or out of that house,” said Garrett, who lives across the street. He declined to give CBS Bay Area his last name for fear of retaliation from whoever was responsible for the grow room.
Investigators say when they spoke to the homeowner, he basically admitted to growing and said it was his family’s source of income. He told investigators he worked alone, but they have their doubts.
All evidence collected Wednesday will be sent to the Contra Costa District Attorney, who will decide whether to file charges in these cases. That’s why CBS News Bay Area is not yet identifying the homeowner.
Katie Nielsen
