Press release from the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office (click images to enlarge):
On 10-11-2012, approximately 9:30 a.m., the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office assisted by the Eureka Police Problem Oriented Policing Team, and Humboldt County Drug Task Force served a Humboldt County Superior Court Search Warrant in the 2000 block of Sunset Ridge Road, Blocksburg.
Upon serving the search warrant, deputies located and detained 17 suspects. As deputies arrived and announced their presence one of the suspects, identified as Johines Ibonnet, attempted to jump out the back window of the residence and broke his ankle. He was transported to a local hospital and treated for his injury prior to being booked into jail.
Upon searching the 45-acre parcel deputies found a very large sophisticated marijuana growing and processing operation. The operation consisted of marijuana plants being grown in two large greenhouses estimated to be between 60 feet by 100 feet, along with marijuana plants being grown out in the open and inside the residence. The residence and greenhouses were powered by two commercial sized 25 KW generators. The growing marijuana plants ranged in size from 6 feet to 8 feet tall and were budding. Deputies estimated the growing plants to have at least one to two pounds of marijuana bud being produced on each plant. There were a total of 718 growing marijuana plants located and seized on the property. Inside a large drying shed, estimated to be approximately 60 feet by 40 feet, deputies located and seized approximately 900 lbs of drying marijuana bud. Inside the residence deputies located two commercial marijuana trimming machines being used to trim the dried marijuana bud from the plants. Deputies also located approximately 132 pounds of dried marijuana bud along with numerous drying racks and 261 sealed bags of marijuana bud ready to sell, estimated to weigh approximately one pound or more each, along with packaging material, scales, a Norinco AK-47 assault rifle with several loaded high capacity magazines, a money counter and approximately $9,500.00 cash.
A total of approximately 1,293 pounds of dried marijuana bud was located. Dried marijuana bud is being sold for approximately $2,000 a pound. The estimated value of the dried marijuana bud seized is $2,586,000.00 wholesale. If the live marijuana plants had been harvested they would had yielded conservatively an additional 718 pounds of dried marijuana bud estimated to be $1,436,000 wholesale. The value of the marijuana seized is estimated to be at least $4 million dollars in just marijuana bud, not including the leaves.
Several of the suspects admitted to investigating officers they were hired to work at the marijuana grow as laborers.
The following is a list of who was arrested at the scene and booked in the Humboldt County Correctional Facility on charges of Cultivation and Possession for sale of Marijuana, and Conspiracy to Commit a Felony:
Elber Dejesus Ivonnet, male 53 years old from North Bergen, NJ. Bailed
Michael Lewis Iverson Jr., 35 years old from Eureka, California was also arrested at the marijuana growing site, however he was only arrested on an outstanding probation violation warrant with a bail of $30,000.00.
This article appears in Bag by Bag.
badman
hmmm, a Cuban national, released on OR? Did she have a green card?
There goes 4 more million out of the local economy!
I doubt it Jonny. They came here just to use the land, sell it to people out of the area, and leave.
If you seriously think that the local economy just lost $4M in revenue: you’re smoking too much product, brother.
Some people were running a farm that grows plants the government doesn’t like for arbitrary reasons. They come in and shut it down using military force and do their best to ruin the lives of everybody involved. Somebody please explain to me why this is okay again?
It’s “OK,” 4:54, because it allowed us to harvest your IP number. See you soon!
@Ryder – Ah yes. Ask a question, receive a threat. How typical. Generally speaking, threatening somebody in a public forum where you can’t erase your comment is not a recipe for success. I suggest if you disagree with me, simply tell me to go fuck myself like any good decent gentlemen would.
The people released on OR that were not citizens probably released information from their scared rat lips.
comprende??
9:03, a little information makes for great laughs. All Ryder knows is that each machine on the Internet is assigned a unique IP number. He doesn’t have the foggiest notion of how to obtain the IP addresses of people commenting here, so it sounds like a good threat to suggest he’s collecting IPs. Hint: IPs are only accessible to Journal staff, and only if they’ve been given access to said information.
what is wrong with this,,only 2 of them were from humboldt,,they did not hire local.and the amount of money they spend on supplies aint crap,I dont support large grows,,why cant you just stay out of humboldt,,leave us alone
In response to Katherine, the problem is they were growing mj – not that “only two were from humboldt” and more locals weren’t recipients of the proceeds. Don’t support (large or small) grows period! Why do so many people support impaired consciousness? A natural high (drug free) can never be attained if you spend all your time seeking a substance that allows your head to drift uselessly in the clouds…
Too bad people can’t even get on here and leave a comment without someone shovin down your throat. Whatever fuckwads…
It is terrible that outsiders have come into Humboldt County and have such a grow as this going on, when there are real business people/owners who are legally growing and providing medical meds. to patients who don’t need this kinda heat stiring up the pot right now. Makes them look bad… That’s what I have to say. Glad they got busted. Do it right…Leave it to the people who provide meds right. Weed out the ignorant….