Officers from the Riverside police and sheriff’s departments and the Drug Enforcement Administration served search warrants on the morning of 22 July 2008 at eight single-family houses in Riverside, Corona, Walnut, South El Monte, Temple City, Los Angeles, Hesperia and Hemet.[1] Five of the houses held indoor grows with 5,600 marijuana plants.[1][2] Each grow bypassed utility meters and stole electricity, with whole houses converted, carpets pulled up, holes cut for wiring and ventilation, and windows covered with drywall inside.[1] Most of the houses stood in new developments and had been bought for $500,000 to $800,000.[1]
Four people were arrested: Jennifer Zhang, 44, of Temple City, Sehn Nguyen, 41, of Los Angeles, Quan Vi To, 51, of El Monte, and Sang Vong Din, 47, of Temple City.[1][2] They were charged in a criminal complaint with conspiracy to manufacture 1,000 or more marijuana plants, which carries a ten-year mandatory minimum and a possible life term.[1] The release noted that every defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty.[1] The day’s raids followed a year-long task force investigation that dismantled 33 indoor grows and seized more than 19,000 plants, with each house capable of about $3 million a year and total potential proceeds above $60 million.[1][2]
