Thousands of Cannabis Plants Seized in Santa Maria

The Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office Cannabis Compliance Team seized and eradicated some 2,800 illegally grown cannabis plants in addition to hundreds of pounds of illegally processed cannabis, Public Information Officer Lt. Erik Raney reported Wednesday.

The unlicensed plants — worth hundreds of thousands of dollars — were seized from the Morning Hill and Dominion Road area in Santa Maria. The cannabis was taken out at the peak of a month-long investigation with the assistance of the Department of Fish and Wildlife. It involved several search warrants served at multiple Santa Maria homes over a two-day period.

In addition to the cannabis operations, a butane honey oil lab was also discovered and the honey oil subsequently confiscated, Raney said.

Criminal complaints will be forwarded to the Santa Barbara County District Attorney’s Office, although no physical arrests have been made.