Acting on an anonymous tip, L.A. County Sheriff’s Department deputies raided an illegal cannabis cultivation effort with more than 1,000 plants about a block from the William S. Hart Union High School District office on Centre Pointe Parkway, officials confirmed Thursday.
No suspects were arrested in the operation.
According to one Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff’s Station official who spoke about the effort on background, it’s not uncommon for such illegal grows to have no record of anyone connected to the operations or for officials to find such a location empty.
The anonymous tipster, according to a sworn statement presented to the court, told officers in November the building at 21515 Centre Pointe Parkway was a commercial building split into two locations.
While the southeast part of the building is being utilized by a photography lab, the northwest portion was “not utilized by anyone … but the strong odor of unburnt fresh cannabis was emanating from the exterior doors on the south and north walls of the building,” according to a detective’s sworn statement in court records.
The city’s municipal codes prohibit commercial cannabis growing operations, according to the search warrant for the facility, which also details the potential health hazards from the pesticides and stone wool “growing cubes” used for the plants. Both are sources of contamination once they’re disposed of, often improperly, according to officials.
The warrant request called for the raid of the facility to take place at night, citing the location’s proximity to a local continuation school, Bowman High School, Creative Years Infant Center Nursery, and Sequoia School. It’s also across the street from the local junior high and high school district’s office headquarters and a local temple.
A Narcotics Bureau official Thursday confirmed that officials seized more than 1,000 plants, as well as marijuana that was being prepared for sale, during a Dec. 7 operation. The list of seized items also included security cameras.
It’s not clear how long the operation had been going on, but the official said the facility was part of an ongoing investigation.
Anyone who would like to provide information anonymously can call “Crime Stoppers” by dialing 800-222-TIPS (8477), use a smartphone by downloading the “P3 Tips” Mobile APP on Google play or the Apple App Store or by using the website lacrimestoppers.org.
