Photo: scene of honey oil lab in Bakersfield
BAKERSFIELD – On November 27th the Kern County Sheriff’s Office Narcotics Unit served search warrants and made a large drug bust as a result.
The warrants were for residences in the 21110 block of Snow Road and the 7000 block of Norris Road.
A “long-term investigation into a large scale commercial grade laboratory ” preceded the operation.
Detectives ended up seizing the following items –
- 2523 pounds of processed marijuana, street value of $2,523,000;
- 287 pounds of marijuana concentrate, street value of $6,514,900;
- 2 shotguns and 2 rifles;
- $22,680 in currency;
- 6 “concentrate extraction vessels”;
- 21 propane tanks (2100 total pounds of propane) and 96 cans of butane;
- various other items associated with lab equipment.
As is always the case in honey oil lab busts, a Hazmat unit came out to oversee the safe dismantling of the equipment.
The KCSO says that this was “one of the largest labs encountered in Kern County.”
32-year-old Justin Merrick and 38-year-old Troy Hines were arrested and charged with manufacture of a controlled drug, conspiracy and the illegal sales of marijuana.
