LASD seizes $50 million worth of pot in record-breaking bust

A group of agencies led by the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department uncovered 500 illegal cannabis grows worth $50 million dollars in the Antelope Valley last Tuesday. The bust was the largest ever recorded in LASD history.

Sheriff Alex Villanueva said the operation was linked to cartels. The growers were siphoning millions of gallons of water from neighboring farms.

According to Lancaster Mayor R. Rex Parris, authorities discovered $380 million worth of infrastructure and marijuana on the property. Twenty-three people were arrested.

LASD also discovered a number of animals, including pit bull puppies, during the raid. They are being cared for by Reversed Rescue, a Leona Valley nonprofit. They will be up for adoption, according to the sheriff.

Sheriff Villanueva had a warning for other illicit growers operating in LA County.

“We're going to continue until there's not a single marijuana grow left standing here in the high desert,'' he said. "That is a tall order, but it needs to happen to basically put this to an end. Because we have legal marijuana grows in California. They're very small in number, they're very tightly regulated and they're being put out of business by the illegal grows.''