Big Bear News – Lucerne Valley, CA – On Thursday, May 13, 2021, starting at 7:30 a.m., investigators from the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department – Marijuana Enforcement Team (MET), personnel from the County Agricultural and Weights and Measures Department, and County Code Enforcement inspected an outdoor cultivation site in Lucerne Valley. MET personnel had received numerous complaints about the location, and through investigation, the site was alleging itself to be a hemp cultivation. Personnel from the County Agricultural Department confirmed the site had never been issued a county permit to cultivate hemp and submitted a dubious application for a nursery stock license to the California Department of Food and Agriculture. The 40-acre site consisted of 199 greenhouses and had approximately 25 travel trailers onsite, with workers living in them. Most of the trailers were dumping sewage into large plastic containers buried in the ground nearby.
The investigation revealed the site was not in compliance with the 2018 Farm Bill, nor San Bernardino County ordinances reference the cultivation of hemp. The site failed to comply with a previous order to abate the cultivation, which had been issued by personnel from the County Agricultural and Weights and Measures Department. Ag Department personnel conducted field tests of the plants at the location and discovered their THC content was at levels that would eliminate their status as hemp under any conditions. A total of 76,118 plants were destroyed in place by Ag Department personnel.
The Sheriff’s Gangs/Narcotics Division will continue to enforce California’s cannabis laws and the San Bernardino County’s ordinance regarding cannabis cultivation and distribution and assist partnering agencies with illicit hemp cultivations. Persons found guilty of violating the state law and county ordinance are subject to fines, prosecution, and seizure of property.
Property owners who are growing marijuana or are aware their tenants are growing marijuana on their properties violate the state law, and local ordinances may also be subject to civil or criminal sanctions. Property owners are encouraged to contact their local law enforcement or code compliance agency to confirm if cultivating cannabis is prohibited or allowed under specific regulations.
Anyone with information regarding this investigation or is urged to contact the Sheriff’s Gangs/Narcotics Division at (909)387-8400 or NARC-MET@sbcsd.org. Callers wishing to remain anonymous are urged to call the We-tip Hotline at 1-800-78-CRIME (27463), or you may leave the information on the We-Tip Hotline at www.wetip.com.