3,000 marijuana plants found in illegal grow bust in Las Lomas

The Monterey County Sheriffs Office found more than 3,000 marijuana plants and several thousand pounds of processed marijuana in an illegal marijuana grow bust Friday in Las Lomas.

After serving a search warrant, the Marijuana Enforcement Team destroyed 3,238 marijuana plants, seized 3,160 pounds of processed marijuana, and confiscated several firearms. Authorities said they also seized over $77,000 in cash.

“While legal in many situations, California has significant regulations on the cultivation of marijuana,” the Monterey County Sheriff’s Office said in a Facebook post. “Those who grow it illegally pose a risk to the environment, to our communities, and diminish the effort of those that work hard to follow the rules.”

Authorities said several environmental violations were notated, as well as multiple building code violations.

They said his type of illegal marijuana grow has many negative impacts to our environment, such as to the water shed and the leaching of chemicals into our ground water.