California county seizes 400,000 cannabis plants at one unlicensed grow

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Law enforcement officials in Santa Barbara County, California, seized a whopping 400,000 marijuana plants from an illegal cultivation site.

That’s the “largest to date” found in the county since the launch of the regulated market, according to a news release from the sheriff’s office and a report from The Tribune News of San Luis Obispo.

The plants were spread among other traditional crops, according to the release, but were so numerous that it took officials two days to eradicate them.

One Santa Maria resident allegedly provided false information to the county in an attempt to get a cultivation license but was unable to obtain one.

The suspects in the case will likely face civil fines but no jail time, and it’s probable they now will not be able to obtain a legal MJ cultivation permit, according to Santa Barbara TV station KEYT.

Although Santa Barbara County has issued more marijuana cultivation permits than any other county in California, the bust drives home that California is still grappling with a thriving illicit market statewide, even in the face of ongoing law enforcement crackdowns.