NICE, Calif. – Based on an anonymous tip, narcotics detectives located an illegal marijuana grow this week at a property in Nice.
Approximately 108 plants were eradicated, according to Lt. Steve Brooks of the Lake County Sheriff's Office.
Shortly after 12:30 p.m. Tuesday narcotics detectives responded to an address located in the 7000 block of Marin Street in Nice, Brooks said.
Brooks said the detectives had received information from the sheriff's anonymous tip line concerning a marijuana cultivation site at the address.
He said the property was red-tagged last year due to the cultivation of marijuana and other county code violations.
Upon their arrival, Brooks said the detectives could see a large hoop-style greenhouse on the property and could smell the strong odor of marijuana from the street.
Detectives entered the property and located 108 marijuana plants inside the greenhouse. All of the plants were in the flowering stage and considered mature, Brooks said. Detectives noticed a black tarp at the base of the greenhouse, indicating the “light deprivation” method was being used.
Brooks said detectives located a singlewide mobile home on the property and noticed that the front door was left standing open. They conducted a protective sweep of the residence and did not locate anyone inside.
Detectives said the mobile home had been converted into an indoor marijuana growing operation. Brooks said the windows were covered and wires were strung from wall to wall to assist in drying and processing the marijuana.
Lake County Code Enforcement arrived at the residence and tagged the property a second time for being uninhabitable, and detectives seized and eradicated the marijuana plants, according to Brooks.
He said the investigation is ongoing and detectives are pursuing all leads to identify the suspect, or suspects, responsible for the illegal cultivation of marijuana.
The Sheriff’s Narcotics Task Force can be reached through its anonymous tip line at 707-263-3663.