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Thursday, March 28, 2024 | Back issues
Courthouse News Service Courthouse News Service

Pot Raid on Official’s Dad’s Land Reported

POTTER VALLEY, Calif. (CN) - The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, Federal Bureau of Investigation, and Internal Revenue Service confiscated over 500 marijuana plants from the family property of a Mendocino County official last week, according to local newspapers.

The official, Under-Sheriff/Captain Randy Johnson, lives next door to the raided property, which is owned by his father, Johnny Johnson, The Press Democrat reported. The land has a number of cabins on it that members of the Johnson family rent out to medical marijuana users, reported The Anderson Valley Advertiser.

Mendocino County Sheriff Tom Allman told The Press Democrat he knew a search warrant had been served but that none of the federal agencies involved had contacted him. Allman added, "it would be a concern if any of my employees knew about that many plants and didn't report them," and that he would be surprised if Captain Johnson knew that marijuana was being grown next door to his home. Sheriff Allman was not available for comment at press time.

The search warrant is sealed and FBI and IRS officials and a DEA spokeswoman declined to provide any details beyond confirming that a warrant had been served, reported The Press Democrat.

The Advertiser noted long-standing rivalries between local and federal law enforcement agencies regarding the status of medical marijuana, adding that Captain Johnson supports decriminalization of marijuana, as do most Mendocino County officials. "It has been clear for some time that the feds have operated independently of local law enforcement, tacit admission that the feds don't trust the locals to keep raid targets secret," The Advertiser reported.

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