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Lower Lake fire investigation leads to discovery of large-scale honey oil lab
LOWER LAKE, Calif. – The investigation into a structure fire last week in Lower Lake led authorities to discover a marijuana honey oil lab.
No arrests have so far been made in the case, according to a report from Lt. Steve Brooks.
At 11:40 a.m. Thursday, March 20, Lake County Fire and Cal Fire were dispatched to a parcel of property located in the 20000 block of Morgan Valley Road in Lower Lake for a structure fire, Brooks said.
Upon arrival, fire personnel notified Central Dispatch of a possible marijuana honey oil lab with outstanding suspects who were seen leaving the area. Brooks said law enforcement officers from California State Parks were in the area and responded to assist fire personnel.
Members of the Sheriff’s Narcotics Task Force responded to the scene and confirmed a large-scale butane honey oil lab – also referred to as a BHO lab – was being used, Brooks said.
Marijuana honey oil is a product extracted from marijuana using butane gas, which is highly volatile and explosive. Brooks said the tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) content in honey oil is approximately 80 percent, compared to 25 percent THC content in high grade marijuana.
The property was secured by narcotics detectives and a search warrant was obtained for the property. Brooks said the fire appeared to originate from an area near on outbuilding, where a PVC tube used for the extraction process exploded.
During a search of the property detectives located several thousand burned butane canisters along with nearly 2,000 full canisters which did not catch fire, he said.
Approximately 237 pounds of processed marijuana shake was located in plastic bags outside the burned structure. Inside a metal storage container on the property, detectives located approximately 8.1 pounds of finished butane honey oil, which has a street market value of $8,000 per pound, according to Brooks.
When broken up and packaged for personal use, the street value is as much as $22,650 per pound when sold at $50 per gram, Brooks said.
Commercial production of butane honey oil is a trend in marijuana cultivation operations, as there is no waste of the marijuana. This process utilizes the marijuana trimmings or shake, which most cultivators claim to be a waste product, according to Brooks' report.
This investigation is ongoing and anyone with information pertinent to this case is asked to contact the Lake County Sheriff’s Office at 707-263-2690.