Investigators seized more than $1 million worth of cannabis and cannabis products after serving a search warrant at a commercial cannabis cultivation business in Cebada Canyon near Lompoc, according to the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Department.
Felony charges may be filed against two people in connection with the search and seizure that occurred on Monday on Cebeda Canyon Road, said Raquel Zick, sheriff’s public information officer.
The sheriff’s Cannabis Compliance Team and Special Investigations Bureau personnel — assisted by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife and the county District Attorney’s Office — executed a series of search warrants in Santa Barbara and Los Angeles counties, Zick said.
Search warrants were authored after an extensive investigation into a commercial cannabis cultivation business located on the 102-acre parcel on Cebada Canyon Road, Zick said.
“Through the investigation, it was discovered that the business had obtained several provisional cannabis licenses from the state of California through fraudulent means,” Zick said in a statement on Tuesday. “The warrants served in Los Angeles County yielded evidence that is part of this ongoing investigation.”
Initial felony charges of illegal cultivation of marijuana, falsifying public records or documents and conspiracy have been requested against Eli Sheiman and Mariette Wingard, according to Zick.
Their ages and additional details were not released.
— Noozhawk staff writer Brooke Holland can be reached at bholland@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk, @NoozhawkNews and @NoozhawkBiz. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.