A illegal weed growing operation was found - of all places - in a home owned by an Oakland police officer this spring.
State Department of Cannabis Control officers discovered about $1 million worth of illegal marijuana in a Bay Area neighborhood in Antioch. One of the three raided houses was owned by Oakland Police Officer Samson Liu, 38, who was placed on administrative leave on April 30.
The Oakland Police Department, citing an ongoing investigation, did not disclose the officer's name, but CNN identified him. Records show Liu bought a 2,800-square-foot house in Antioch in 2020 for $608,000.
The department said it “is aware of the allegations made against one of our members and is cooperating with outside law enforcement agencies on the case", according to the LA Times.
The LA Times report says that the raid underscores the scale of illegal marijuana operations in California and the involvement of Chinese organized crime since legalization in 2016, according to the cannabis control agency.
Law enforcement described these operations as sophisticated and linked to “Chinese criminal syndicates” but provided no further details due to ongoing investigations.
A Los Angeles Times investigation recently revealed that contraband pesticide use has spread across California's cannabis farms, both illegal and licensed, over the past three years.
These toxic substances were found in at least six counties, including Siskiyou County, where half of 25 illegal farms raided in July 2023 had pesticides present, causing three officers to need medical treatment after exposure, according to the report.
