When officers of the state Division of Hashish Management swooped in on a neighborhood within the Bay Space metropolis of Antioch this spring, they discovered what they had been searching for — about $1 million in unlawful marijuana — and one shock.
One of many three homes they raided was owned by an officer of the Oakland Police Division.
In an e-mail, the division confirmed that it “is aware of the allegations made against one of our members and is cooperating with outside law enforcement agencies on the case.”
The officer was positioned on administrative depart April 30, and the matter is below investigation, the assertion mentioned.
Citing an ongoing personnel matter, the Police Division declined to call the officer.
CNN, which first reported the raid, recognized the officer as Samson Liu, 38.
Actual property data present {that a} Samson Liu bought a 2,800-square-foot home in Antioch in 2020 for $608,000.
The raid highlights the extent of unlawful pot operations and the current entry of Chinese language organized crime into the business that California voters legalized in 2016, the hashish management company informed the information outlet. Legislation enforcement officers mentioned the operations had been refined and coordinated and confirmed proof of “the Chinese criminal syndicate” however declined to additional elaborate on account of ongoing investigations.
The company didn’t instantly reply Tuesday to The Occasions’ request for remark.
A current investigation by the Los Angeles Occasions checked out one other side of unlawful hashish in California. Based mostly on confidential state data, public recordsdata, on-line gross sales and social networks, The Occasions discovered that within the final three years, the usage of contraband pesticides on hashish farms has unfold throughout California.
Such pesticides have proven up now in not less than six California counties, at each unlawful and licensed rising operations. The poisons had been current on half of 25 unlawful farms in Siskiyou County raided by a state job drive throughout a July 2023 sting operation that noticed three officers require medical remedy after struggling publicity.
In a seamless investigation, The Occasions discovered chemical compounds tied to most cancers, liver failure, thyroid illness and genetic and neurologic hurt in marijuana offered in licensed dispensaries.
