- LAKE COUNTY NEWS REPORTS
- Posted On
Two arrested for hash lab; hundreds of thousands of dollars’ worth of materials seized
NORTH COAST, Calif. – Authorities in Lake and Mendocino counties made two arrests in connection to the operation of a hash lab discovered on Tuesday.
Joseph John Scorese, 30, of Lakeport and Joseph Dean Loren, 36, of Willits were arrested in the case, according to a report from Lt. Norm Taylor of the Lake County Sheriff’s Office.
Taylor said that on Tuesday the Lake County Sheriff’s Office Narcotic Unit, with the assistance of the County of Mendocino Marijuana Eradication Team, or COMMET, and Mendocino Major Crimes Task Force served a search warrant in the 6600 block of Highway 20 in Potter Valley in Mendocino County.
When the teams arrived, they contacted and detained Scorese and Loren on the property, Taylor said.
Detectives discovered the entire residence had been modified into an industrial butane hash – or marijuana – oil extraction laboratory capable of producing commercial high volume concentrated cannabis, according to Taylor.
Taylor said Scorese and Loren were in possession of a sophisticated and explosive closed loop butane/propane chemical extraction system which occupied several rooms in the residence. They also were storing five large cylinders totaling hundreds of pounds of the explosive chemicals in the living room for continuous hash oil production.
Detectives located and seized a total of 48.3 pounds of BHO, or concentrated cannabis, product with a street value of more than $768,000, along with 1,150 pounds of marijuana used in the extraction process and extensive, detailed pay and owe ledgers indicating the suspects recently sold more than $100,000 of the illicit substance, Taylor said.
The laboratory equipment with an estimated value of more than $250,000 was seized as evidence. In addition to the BHO lab, Taylor said detectives located and dismantled a marijuana alcohol extraction lab.
Taylor said $5,700 of cash and a 2017 Jeep Rubicon were seized pending asset forfeiture proceedings.
Scorese and Loren were placed under arrest for felony violations of manufacturing a controlled substance using a chemical process and misdemeanor violations of possessing marijuana for sale. Taylor said both subjects were transported and booked in the Mendocino County Jail.
Bail for each was set at $50,000, with jail records indicating that Loren posted bail and was released late Tuesday and Scorese was released early Wednesday morning.