On the morning of 25 June 2021, detectives from the Valley Center sheriff’s substation crime suppression team, with the sheriff’s narcotics and gangs division and the SWAT team, served a search warrant at a property in the 29000 block of Cole Grade Road in Valley Center.[1] The warrant was part of an ongoing investigation into illegal marijuana cultivation in the unincorporated community.[1]

Seven people were detained during the operation, and detectives seized 15,000 live marijuana plants and 9.5 pounds (about 4.3 kg) of processed marijuana.[1][2] The sheriff’s department estimated the street value at more than $7.5 million.[2] Photos from the raid showed a greenhouse packed with potted plants, indoor seedling trays and trays of processed marijuana.[1][2]

The county’s code compliance team, the California Water Board, the state Department of Fish and Wildlife and the local utility assisted in the operation and found fire, health and safety violations on the property.[1][2] The sheriff’s department said unlicensed grow sites often hold dangerous chemicals and illegal pesticides that can reach groundwater, and that the marijuana may have been intended for sale at illegal dispensaries.[1][2]