Authorities arrested 64 suspects, including a 43-year-old Fontana man, during a recent two-week period as part of an ongoing crackdown on alleged illegal marijuana cultivations in San Bernardino County.
Between June 20 and July 3, investigators from the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department – Marijuana Enforcement Team (MET), along with Sheriff’s deputies from several different patrol stations, served 35 search warrants at various locations in Phelan, Pinon Hills, Apple Valley, Helendale, Yermo, Newberry Springs, Adelanto, Hesperia, Twentynine Palms, Morongo Valley, Oro Grande, and Fontana.
The Fontana location was in the 7400 block of Cypress Avenue, the Sheriff’s Department said in a news release.
During the two-week period, investigators seized a total of 54,111 marijuana plants, 10,956 pounds of processed marijuana, two guns, 22,226 grams of concentrated psilocybin mushrooms, and more than $2,600 in cash. Investigators eradicated a total of 473 greenhouses found at these locations, as well as eight indoor locations. Investigators mitigated one THC extraction lab.
This crackdown, called Operation Hammer Strike, began in September of last year. It has mainly been focused on shutting down marijuana cultivations in relatively small desert cities and towns in the county.
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