CLEARLAKE >> The Clearlake Police Department continued an apparent campaign to eradicate commercial marijuana grows this week, seizing 1,272 plants from one location and 341 from another in separate warrant searches on Thursday.
One man, who identified himself as Jose Antonio Chabolla Munoz, but held several identifications, was arrested.
The operations follow a successful month of April, during which CPD officers destroyed some 13,500 plants. Authorities also confiscated several weapons and processed marijuana during these searches.
In the largest effort on Thursday, officers serving a warrant at 3500 block of Locust Ave. discovered 1,272 plants in the backyard. According to Lt. Tim Celli, many of the plants were stil in pots “appearing as though they would be moved to another location.”
In addition, officers uncovered a stach of false identifications, several social security cards and a passport. These reportedly all belonged to Chabolla, but were under various names with different social security numbers. Several thousand dollars in cash was seized, as well.
Officers took Chabolla into custody shortly before 11 a.m., after waiting at his home.
When officers initially arrived they announcement their presence and demanded entry into the residence and the surrounding buildings, but received no answer, according to Celli.
“After receiving no answer, officers forced open the doors of the residence as well as a garage that had been converted into living quarters,” Celli said in a press statement.
Inside the garage they found an adult female with her small child. The woman apparently didn’t unlock the door or contact the police when commanded to do so because she was calling her father, Chabolla, who was at work at a local restaurant.
The woman was not taken into custody or charged with a crime. Authorities are withholding her identity.
A short time later, a woman identified as Chabolla’s wife and Chabolla showed up at the residence in two separate vehicles.
Celli reports that officers located evidence to suggest sales of marijuana, “including information that suggested large sale transactions upwards of $50,000 dollars.” Scales and packaging were located, along with approximately 8.5 pounds of processed marijuana.
According to Celli, Chabolla took responsibility of the marijuana located at the residence. In addition, he reportedly admitted that he has been involved in sales, cultivation and also brokering marijuana deals for a several years.
Also that morning, officers serving a search warrant at a residence in the 3500 block of Maple Street discovered approximately 340 marijuana plants growing in two hoop houses. The plants were seized after officers determined they were not medicinal.
No one was located at the residence at the time of the search warrant service, however. Officers have identified a potential suspect and the investigation is ongoing.
“It should be noted that complaints were received about this property several months ago and Code Enforcement was alerted to it,” Celli said. “At that time, a smaller marijuana grow was located on the property.”
Code Enforcement contacted the owner of the property who had apparently rented out the property and was not living at the address. After the city contacted the owner to issue a notice of violation, compliance was received and the marijuana plants that were located on the property at that time were voluntarily abated.
Based upon this current investigation, authorities believe this marijuana grow was for commercial purposes. Information was discovered at the location that connected this property to another recently eradicated commercial marijuana grow located on Manchester Avenue that has been previously reported.
Meanwhile Chabolla was arrested and booked into the Lake County Jail, but no record for Chabolla was located during a live scan fingerprint check. He was eventually bailed from jail under the name Antonio Chabolla.
