Press Release from Humboldt CO. DA: On Wednesday, October 26, 2011, Humboldt County District Attorney’s Office led a multi-agency effort to execute a search warrant on adjacent parcels suspected of being used for large scale marijuana cultivation. The properties were located off Highway 36 on County Line Creek Road approximately ten miles from Dinsmore.

The team was comprised of officials from the Humboldt County Drug Task Force, Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office, Eureka Police Department, California Department of Fish and Game, U.S. Marshal’s Office, Cal Fire, California  Highway Patrol as well as officials from Humboldt County Code Enforcement and Environmental Health.

Five separate parcels were searched and agents found over thirty structures used for the cultivation and processing of marijuana. Officers also discovered processed and unprocessed marijuana with an estimated street value of over one million dollars and approximately $20,000 in United States currency. Also seized were three firearms, two vehicles, numerous generators, trailers, a tractor and other equipment usually associated with large scale marijuana  cultivation.

The operation resulted in 39 arrested. Nine individuals were booked into the Humboldt County jail and six remain in custody. Of those booked, two were from Spain, one from France, one from the Ukraine, one from Australia and three from Canada. Megan Claire Moody, 30, was the only property owner present at the time of the raid and was one of the individuals taken into custody. The defendants face a variety of charges including felony cultivation and possession of marijuana for sales, and weapons violations. A large water diversion system was also located at the site. This system diverted a significant amount of water from the Mad River in support of the cultivation operations, and may result in criminal charges stemming from multiple violations of environmental laws.

“We received information regarding a possible commercial marijuana grow operation and that the people involved in that operation were shooting fully automatic weapons as a way to intimidate neighboring property owners,” said Humboldt County Chief Investigator Mike Hislop. “Commercial, non-medical grows are illegal and using firearms to intimidate people just compounds the wrong.”