Community Complaint About Illegal Marijuana Cultivation Site Leads to Discovery of 93 Possible Victims of Human/Labor Trafficking
Investigation into a possible illegal marijuana growing site led Santa Ana police to discover at least 90 individuals who may be victims of human/labor trafficking.
On August 11th, detectives served a search warrant at a building located inside an industrial complex on the 2100 block of South Yale Street. The search was instigated by a community complaint about a “possible illegal marijuana cultivation site,” according to the release.
“Once inside the building, detectives located an illegal, large-scale, operational marijuana cultivation site,” the release went on. Six individuals were found working at the site and detained for illegal marijuana cultivation.
As detectives investigated, they found that the operation extended to an adjacent building. A narcotics detection K9 led detectives to a large roll-up door. After obtaining another search warrant, detectives entered to find “large amounts of marijuana” in a packing facility, as well as 90 individuals and 3 juveniles “who appeared to be working at the facility,” said the release.
“Upon further investigation, it appeared the detained individuals might have been victims of human/labor trafficking.” In order to determine whether that was the case—and whether these individuals were in fact a part of the illegal marijuana business—the Orange County Human Trafficking Task Force (OCHTTF) and the Orange County District Attorney’s Office stepped in to collaborate on the case. Relief services were provided by the County of Orange Social Services Agency and Waymakers.
“’Providing effective policing services and addressing quality of life issues is our highest priority. This multi-pronged enforcement operation illustrates our unwavering commitment to a balanced traditional and community based policing strategy. We not only removed a nuisance business from our community, we also saved individuals who were victims of human/labor trafficking.’” states David Valentin, Chief of Police, in the statement.
He continued, “‘This would not have been possible without the assistance and collaborative efforts of our allied law enforcement agencies which include the Orange County Human Trafficking Task Force and U.S. Department of Labor, in addition to our partnerships with the County of Orange Social Services Agency and Waymakers.’”
