When officials from the state Department of Cannabis Control swept into a neighborhood in the Bay Area city of Antioch this spring, they found what they were looking for — about $1 million in illegal marijuana — and a surprise.
One of the three houses they raided was owned by an Oakland Police Department officer.
In an email, the department confirmed that it “is aware of the allegations against one of our members and is cooperating with outside law enforcement on the case.”
The official was placed on administrative leave on April 30 and the matter is under investigation, according to the statement.
Citing an ongoing personnel matter, police declined to name the officer.
CNN, which first reported the raididentified the officer as Samson Liu, 38.
Property records show a Samson Liu bought a 2,800-square-foot house in Antioch in 2020 for $608,000.
The raid highlights the extent of illegal pot operations and the recent entry of Chinese organized crime into the industry that California voters legalized in 2016, the cannabis control agency told the news outlet. Law enforcement officials said the operations were sophisticated and coordinated and showed evidence of the “Chinese crime syndicate” but declined to elaborate further due to ongoing investigations.
The agency did not immediately respond Tuesday to The Times’ request for comment.
A recent investigation by the Los Angeles Times looked at another aspect of illegal cannabis in California. Based on confidential government records, public files, online sales and social networks, The Times found that over the past three years, the use of smuggling pesticides on cannabis farms has spread across California.
Such pesticides have now been detected in at least six California counties, both in illegal and licensed cultivation operations. The poisons were found at half of 25 illegal farms in Siskiyou County raided by a state task force during a July 2023 sting operation in which three officers required medical treatment after being exposed.
In an ongoing investigation, The Times found chemicals linked to cancer, liver failure, thyroid disease, and genetic and neurological damage in marijuana sold in licensed pharmacies.
Times research librarian Scott Wilson contributed to this report.