Full Notification

Public Information Release
March 24, 2014
Lieutenant Steve Brooks, Public Information Officer


On March 20, 2014 at approximately 11:40 am, Lake County Fire and Cal Fire were dispatched to a parcel of property located in the 20000 block of Morgan Valley Road in Lower Lake for a structure fire. Upon arrival, fire personnel notified Central Dispatch of a possible marijuana honey oil lab with outstanding suspects who were seen leaving the area. Law enforcement officers from California State Parks were in the area and responded to assist fire personnel.

Members of the Sheriff’s Narcotics Task Force responded to the scene and confirmed a large scale butane honey oil lab; also referred to as a BHO lab was being used. Marijuana honey oil is a product extracted from marijuana using butane gas, which is highly volatile and explosive. Furthermore the Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) content in honey oil is approximately 80%, compared to 25% THC content in high grade marijuana.

The property was secured by narcotics detectives and a search warrant was obtained for the property. The fire appeared to originate from an area near on outbuilding, where a PVC tube used for the extraction process exploded. During a search of the property detectives located several thousand burned butane canisters along with nearly two thousand full canisters, which did not catch fire. Approximately 237 pounds of processed marijuana shake was located in plastic bags outside the burned structure. Inside a metal storage container on the property, detectives located approximately 8.1 pounds of finished butane honey oil, which has a street market value of $8,000.00 per pound. When broken up and packaged for personal use, the street value is as much as $22,650.00 per pound when sold at $50.00 per gram.

Commercial production of butane honey oil is a trend in marijuana cultivation operations, as there is no waste of the marijuana. This process utilizes the marijuana trimmings or shake, which most cultivators claim to be a waste product. A violation of this section is a felony. This investigation is ongoing and anyone with information pertinent to this case, please contact the Lake County Sheriff’s Office at (707) 263-2690.

The Sheriff’s Narcotics Task Force will continue its efforts to eradicate narcotics from the communities of Lake County and seize the suspected profits of drug trafficking for the asset forfeiture whenever possible. Anyone with information that can assist the Task Force with this effort is encouraged to call the anonymous tip line at 263-3663.