Nestled between the San Joaquin River and a trio of stunning national parks, the California city of Antioch seems like a peaceful part of the state’s East Bay region, but it’s actually home to a massive underground criminal enterprise.
You’d never guess it considering the neighborhood’s wealth. In fact, residents pay 93 percent more than the national average to live in this upmarket area: The average home costs $588,000, while renters pay an average of $2,850 per month, according to the report. Houses of flight.
But the Golden State city’s sunny exterior belies the shady underground marijuana trade that operates behind the walls of the town’s hundreds of cookie-cutter-sized homes.
Antioch police raided about 60 suspected illegal marijuana sales locations over the past two years, according to NBC – and officials believe there could be hundreds more in operation.
Despite the high number of raids, only two people have been arrested and charged, and both got away with minor crimes thanks to California’s lax laws.
Nestled between the San Joaquin River and a trio of stunning national parks, the California city of Antioch (pictured above) feels like a quiet part of the state’s East Bay region.
Oakland Police Officer Samson Liu, 38, of Antioch, was placed on administrative leave on April 30 after the farm was found on the property (pictured)
While the median household income in Antioch is $90,709, some residents are earning much more through this shady trade.
An April drug raid at a luxury two-story, five-bedroom home in Antioch uncovered hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of illegal cannabis in that single residence.
Officials revealed the property belonged to Oakland police officer Samson Liu, 38, who has since been placed on administrative leave.
It is unclear whether Liu lived in the house or rented it out to tenants, and no arrests have yet been made.
In another raid this spring, authorities discovered about $1 million worth of illegal marijuana at another five-bedroom home on affluent Shell Ridge Way.
In April, a drug raid at a luxury two-story, five-bedroom home in Antioch uncovered hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of illegal cannabis in a single residence (pictured)
Bill Jones, chief of enforcement at the California Department of Cannabis Control, said CNN The illicit marijuana operation in Antioch is largely run by the “Chinese criminal syndicate.”
In fact, the operation is so extensive that authorities believe there are more Chinese citizens involved in the illegal marijuana trade than gang members from Mexican cartels.
However, Vanda Felbab-Brown, an expert on international crimes at the Brookings Institute, said: CNN that Chinese and Mexican criminal groups also often work together to traffic Chinese immigrants into the United States to work in the illegal marijuana trade.
She told CNN that the US government urgently needs to increase its vigilance on the issue.
“We’ve been prioritizing Chinese military decision-making, but Chinese organized crime and organized crime in general has not been a high priority in intelligence gathering,” Felbab-Brown said.
Antioch’s sunny exterior belies the shady underground marijuana trade that operates behind the walls of hundreds of homes in the city.
Pictured: Historic buildings in downtown Antioch, East Bay, California
“That has to change.”
The illegal marijuana trade in Antioch is just the tip of the iceberg that represents a statewide problem throughout California.
Golden State criminals convicted of trafficking any amount of illegal marijuana will only face misdemeanor charges, except in extreme cases.
Exceptions include if the illicit marijuana was sold to a child or if the culprit was already a registered sex offender.
Antioch has earned a reputation for developing many high-yield indoor growing operations (pictured: cannabis from a raid last week)
Despite the large number of raids in Antioch over the past two years, only two people were arrested and charged, and both got away with minor crimes, thanks to California’s lax laws. (Pictured: California Governor Gavin Newsom)
Siskiyou County Sheriff Jeremiah LaRue, whose Northern California district is plagued by illegal trafficking, told police: CNN‘You can have seven plants or 70,000 plants and it’s still the same misdemeanor.
“It’s actually just a joke.”
In fact, the state is responsible for producing about 40 percent of the country’s marijuana, according to economist Beau Whitney, and 75 percent of that economy is illegal.
California legalized recreational marijuana in 2016, but sellers who skirt the rules, fees and taxes involved in operating within the highly regulated legal trade have since proliferated.