SACRAMENTO – Media reports yesterday said that federal authorities from the United States Department of Justice have concluded a two-day sweep of houses, alleged to be used as part of a Chinese crime syndicate’s illegal marijuana grow operation. More that 100 homes have been targeted for forfeiture, as part of the raids.
The raids also seized more than 61,000 marijuana plants, 440 pounds of processed marijuana, as well as 15 firearms. The houses are located throughout areas in and near Sacramento.
“This represents one of the largest residential forfeiture efforts in the nation’s history,” the U.S. Justice Department said, according to the Sacramento Bee.
The raids are the result of an investigation that eventually involved more than 500 law and government agencies that was started in 2014, the newspaper said. Suspected grow houses and other activities were traced through utility bills and other financial platforms, looking at numerous, complex transactions that led authorities to Chinese crime syndicate connections. The marijuana produced was earmarked for sale in other parts of the U.S., especially the eastern states.
“Transnational criminal organizations are a blight on our communities, bringing dangerous drugs to our streets and trying to impose a false sovereignty over our neighborhoods,” United States Attorney General Jeff Sessions said about the raids in media reports. “The day I was sworn in as Attorney General, President Trump ordered me to make dismantling these organizations a priority, and we are carrying out that order with vigor.”
