CLEARLAKE >> Clearlake police seized 820 marijuana plants while investigating two separate complaints this week.
Officers serving a warrant in the 3500 block of Garfield Ave. on Wednesday collected 94 plants growing in a fenced vacant lot. A short time afterward, officers responding to a disturbance in the 3400 block of Harrison Ave. discovered 726 plants.
Four men were arrested.
The operations mark the second time this month that the CPD has destroyed sizeable grows from two locations. On May 6, officers seized 1,272 plants from one home and 341 from another.
In April, police investigations led them to an approximate haul of 13,500 illegal marijuana plants.
On Wednesday authorities looking into complaints of commercial cultivation at the vacant lot observed two suspects enter the property and begin to tend growing plants.
At this point, officers served the search warrant, arresting two brothers out of Ukiah — Manuel and Gilberto Zazueta — for the alleged cultivation of marijuana at the location.
“The grow site was believed to be a commercial marijuana grow and there were no indicators that it was for medical purposes,” reported CPD Lt. Tim Celli in a statement issued to the press.
As this was occurring, another CPD team responding to a call regarding a disturbance on Harrison Ave. spotted a large number of marijuana plants growing in the backyard. According to Celli, the officers raised the issue with those at the home.
“When officers attempted to talk to the occupants about the marijuana grow, the occupants were uncooperative and challenged the officers to get a search warrant,” Celli said.
After obtaining legal approval to search, officers discovered plants in various stages of growth outside. In the house, they also found an indoor grow operation.
The CPD reports that part of the residence was converted to house a processing operation.
At the conclusion of the investigation, two suspects identified as Juan Alverez Munoz and Fernando Herrera Arguez were arrested for cultivation of marijuana and possession of a weapon.
All four allegedly involved in the grows were booked into the Lake County Jail.
