Merced County sheriff’s deputies seize more than 7 tons of illegal pot from property

More than seven tons of marijuana was seized from a property in Merced County over the weekend, according to authorities.

The Merced County Sheriff’s Office Sheriff’s Enforcement Team or SET, which is led by Sgt. Ray Framstad, served a search warrant Saturday while investigating the illegal cultivation, manufacturing and processing of marijuana at two large barns and a cornfield in the 5700 block of West Highway 140, according to a news release.

During a search of the property, deputies detained 15 people who were found to be cultivating and processing marijuana inside the two barns and the cornfield, according to the Sheriff’s Office. According to Deputy Daryl Allen, the subjects were later released.

According to the Sheriff’s Office, deputies eradicated 34,685 plants from the cornfield and 4,500 pounds of dried product from the barns. More than 15,000 pounds of finished product and plants were eradicated from the property, according to the news release.

Framstad estimated the operation had the potential of making $15 million in profit. Deputies also located two handguns in during the search, one of which was found to be reported stolen out of Bakersfield.

The Sheriff’s Office said it is working with the California Department of Food and Agriculture as well as the Cal Cannabis Investigations Team and the County of Merced Code Enforcement to prosecute the owner of the property.

Silva Bros Custom Chopping volunteered the use of farming equipment and assisted authorities in loading and transporting more than seven tons of marijuana to the county landfill for destruction.

According to the news release, it is illegal to grow marijuana outdoors in Merced County. Authorities said it is legal to possess six marijuana plants per residence and they may only grow indoors.

This story was originally published June 16, 2020 at 6:57 PM.