SAN DIEGO —
San Diego police busted an unlicensed cannabis delivery service this week, seizing more than $700,000 and raiding a hash oil extraction lab in the process, police said.
Detectives from the Police Department’s narcotics unit also arrested three people in connection with the operation, San Diego Police Lt. Paul Phillips said in a news release.
The investigation began Wednesday when police received a complaint about an illegal cannabis dispensary and delivery service. Narcotics detectives were dispatched to Friars Road, west of Fashion Valley Road, and found three people loading items into a rented U-Haul truck, Phillips said.
Investigators arrested the three people – a 23-year-old woman and two men, aged 35 and 25 – and searched the truck. Inside, they found more than 210 pounds of cannabis, more than 5,000 cannabis concentrates, nearly 3,900 edibles and more than $53,000 in cash, Phillips said.
Investigators also learned that the trio operated the lab, where potentially dangerous butane gas is used to turn cannabis plants into a highly potent waxy concentrate typically known as hash oil or honey oil.
Narcotics detectives obtained two additional warrants to search a pair of apartments on 11th Avenue near Market Street in downtown’s East Village neighborhood, Phillips said. There, they found about $650,000 believed to be proceeds from the cannabis delivery service.
Detectives also served search warrants on the U-Haul truck, several other vehicles and a home, Phillips said. The three suspects were booked into jail on suspicion of various charges including operating and maintaining a drug house, operating a hashish oil laboratory, possessing cannabis for sale, health and safety violations and charges of tax and income evasion.
Jail records showed that none of the suspects remained in custody as of Friday.
