On Tuesday 17 people were arrested, and another 20 were arrested on Wednesday, officials reported. Among the Wednesday arrestees was 20-year-old Ethan Smith of Kelseyville, charged with cultivation and sales.
The approximate totals for the three-day operation into the illegal profiteering of the cultivation and sales of marijuana included 42 physical arrests, nine criminal citations, 19,158 marijuana plants were seized, 19 firearms were confiscated and $44,641 in cash was seized as evidence, according to Capt. Kurt Smallcomb.
The Mendocino County Sheriff's Office along with both the Campaign Against Marijuana Planting (CAMP) and County of Mendocino Marijuana Eradication Team (COMMET) assisted state and federal law enforcement agencies in the service of five search warrants and several “open field marijuana eradication locations,” Smallcomb said.
Arrested on cultivation and sales charges were Elizabeth Hollon, 22, of Eckton, Mass.; Benjamine Meyeers, 25, of Berlin, Germany; Matt Dymond, 32, of Willits; Noel Benson, 34, of New York; Jamey Breinberg, 42, of Covelo; and H. Multani, 31, of Covelo.
Smallcomb said officers and deputies served a search warrant at Mile Marker No. 17 on Mina Road where they eradicated 228 marijuana plants and seized approximately 50 pounds of processed marijuana. Hollon and Meyeers were arrested at that location.
A search warrant was then served at 33670 Mendocino Pass Road. There officials found and eradicated 80 marijuana plants, confiscated 2 pounds of processed marijuana and one rifle, and arrested Dymond and Benson, Smallcomb said.
Officers also served a search warrant at 36650 Mendocino Pass Road where they found 57 marijuana plants were eradicated, approximately 20 pounds of processed marijuana was seized, and three rifles and one handgun were confiscated, according to Smallcomb. Breinberg and Multani were arrested at that location
A search warrant was served at 51110 Highway 162, where Smallcomb said a total of 387 marijuana plants were eradicated, and Smallcomb said a total of three guns were confiscated.
The final search warrant of the day was served at 24700 Fairbanks Road, where Smallcomb said approximately 80 marijuana plants were eradicated.
Some of these investigations will continue in regards to property ownerships, financial gain and possible criminal culpability, Smallcomb said.
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