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$1 Billion Of Illegal Weed Seized In Los Angeles

$1 Billion Of Illegal Weed Seized In Los Angeles

It's the largest marijuana bust in the county's history

Dominic Smithers

Dominic Smithers

Police in Los Angeles have seized over $1 billion of marijuana in 'the biggest bust' in the county's history.

While the sale of recreational weed is legal in California, as long as it's licensed, cops have become concerned after seeing that illegal dealings had been rising sharply, especially during the pandemic.

So recently they have been stepping up efforts to cut it out at the root.

And this particular operation, which centred on the Antelope Valley region, to the north of LA county, saw officers confiscate a colossal 373,000 Marijuana plants - 33,480 lbs of harvested Marijuana.

It's thought to have had a potential street value of $1.193bn (£866,416,250).

Cops seized over $1bn of marijuana in huge drug operation.
PA

Police also confirmed that the bust saw 133 people arrested in connection with the drug operations.

Speaking about the op, Los Angeles County Sheriff Alex Villanueva said it was a big win for the authorities.

He said during a press conference: "What we want to do is send a clear and loud message to all the cartels and anyone doing illegal operations in the high desert.

"Your days here are over and we're coming for you."

According to police, the 10-day 'Marijuana Eradication Operation' commenced on 8 June and involved a number of different agencies working in tandem.

A big, but perhaps lesser-known, component of the Antelope Valley market is water theft, which is conducted using hydrants and non-permitted water wells.

This, cops say, has been happening at an 'alarming rate'.

Los Angeles Police said it was an historic drugs bust.
Los Angeles County Police Department

DEA Associate Special Agent in Charge, Curt Fallin said the lengths these criminal gangs were going to was incredible.

He said: "Most Californians would be shocked and disappointed at the amount of water these unlicensed, illegal grows are using, especially as California suffers from a drought.

"By our calculation, the illegal grows in Los Angeles, Riverside, and San Bernardino counties require an astounding 5.4 million gallons of water a day, every day."

But it's not just across the pond where cops are having to confiscate vast amounts of weed.

Back in February, police in England found an estimated £250,000 worth of cannabis on the M1 motorway.

The seizure of the drugs happened at Junction 12 near Luton in Bedfordshire. Local police officers stopped two vehicles in the early hours of this morning and were surprised to discover a possible 40kg of cannabis hidden in the back of a Peugeot.

There were six suspects on the scene and all were arrested for drug dealing, with police telling MailOnline that five males and one female were taken in.

Featured Image Credit: PA

Topics: Police, US News, Cannabis, Marijuana, Drugs, Los Angeles, weed