SANTA CLARA COUNTY, Calif. (KRON) — Authorities have discovered an illegal marijuana operation on May 9 in the unincorporated foothills east of Morgan Hill, the Santa Clara County Sheriff’s Office announced in a Facebook post Wednesday. However, no arrests have been made.
By exercising a search warrant, detectives eradicated approximately 2,000 marijuana plants and seized 9 pounds of marijuana from the site of the operation, authorities said. They also recovered 33 firearms, mostly assault rifles, and thousands of rounds of ammunition.
Authorities care calling this a “prolific” operation capable of producing about a pound of marijuana to be sold on the street for about $1,500 per pound. The sheriff’s office said this operation was capable of making around $6 million in profits from black market sales.
Despite recreational use of marijuana being legal in California, operations like this sell on the black market to avoid taxes. As of January, the state’s tax rate on marijuana as follows, according to the California Department of Tax and Fee Administration:
- Flower per dry-weight ounce: $10.08
- Leaves per dry-weight ounce: $3.00
- Fresh cannabis plant per ounce: $1.41
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In addition, detectives are investigating the site of the operation for environmental violations that include evidence of dumping diesel fuel into the water supply, according to authorities. Another cannabis bust in the Bay Area: Dublin police announced Wednesday they seized a large quantity of edible marijuana products resembling commercial snack foods.
