PREVIOUSLY

• First Tribal Marijuana Grow Op in Northern California Will Be Announced ‘Within the Next 48 Hours’
• LoCO ON THE POT: What’s Up With That Big Pinoleville Pomo Grow?

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From the Mendocino County Sheriff’s Office:

Several months ago the Mendocino County Sheriff’s Office began receiving information about a marijuana cultivation operation being established by the Pinoleville Pomo Nation Tribe in Ukiah, California.

Since that time personnel from the Mendocino County Sheriff’s Office had numerous contacts with representatives from the tribe concerning why the operation was being established.

During those contacts it was determined the operation was utilizing open land located at 650 Pinoleville Road and a building at 2150 North State Street both being locations in Ukiah, California.

Several aerial over-flights of 650 Pinoleville Road were conducted within the last two months showing approximately 400 growing marijuana plants at that location.

On 09-18-2015 Mendocino County Sheriff’s Office Deputies were called to 2150 North State Street due to the activation of a burglary alarm.

Upon arrival Deputies contacted several individuals who were transporting cut marijuana plants from 650 Pinoleville Road to the building.  These individuals identified themselves as being employed by the Pinoleville Pomo Nation Tribe.

On 09-22-2015 the County of Mendocino Marijuana Eradication Team obtained search warrants for 650 Pinoleville Road and 2150 North State Street.

Each search warrant was subsequently served and 382 growing marijuana plants were eradicated from 650 Pinoleville Road.  Investigators noticed several marijuana plants had already been harvested from the location.

During the search of the building at 2150 North State Street a sophisticated honey oil chemical extraction laboratory was discovered in addition to over 100 pounds of trimmed/processed marijuana.

No individuals were present at both locations when the search warrants were served and investigations are on-going at this time.

In 1953 Public Law 280 mandated a substantial transfer of jurisdiction from the federal government to the state level in California as to situations occurring on Indian Country.

As a result, The Mendocino County Sheriff’s Office is mandated to assume jurisdiction on Indian Country located in the unincorporated areas of Mendocino County and to enforce California state laws including those listed in the crime/incident section of this press release.