Local News in Brief : Countywide : 2 Homes Seized Where Marijuana Crop Grew
Federal law enforcement officials seized two Orange County homes Wednesday where more than $2.1 million worth of marijuana plants was growing.
The homes in Costa Mesa and Capistrano Beach were seized under a federal law that allows civil forfeiture of property used in drug trafficking, said Assistant U.S. Atty. Carolyn Reynolds, who filed civil complaints for their seizure.
Neither of the property owners, who were arrested earlier, could be reached for comment. Reynolds said both are being prosecuted in state court for possession of marijuana for sale.
Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputies discovered and removed 800 marijuana plants at the Costa Mesa home of Kent Sandlin when they arrived at the house in the 200 block of East Broadway with a search warrant June 22, Reynolds said.
The plants were being grown in a dug-out area under the house that measured 7 feet deep, 11 feet wide and 30 feet long, the complaint said. When fully grown, the plants would have a street value of $2 million, according to the complaint.
Orange County sheriff’s deputies removed 61 marijuana plants worth an estimated $183,000 on Aug. 3 from the home of Maria Morris in the 26700 block of Calle Juanita in Capistrano Beach, Reynolds said.
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