Lake County sheriff’s investigators seize half ton of marijuana, arrest four

Four men were arrested and more than 1,000 pounds of marijuana seized in a raid on two pot gardens in Lower Lake, the Lake County’s Sheriff Office announced Friday.

The raid stemmed from a routine overflight in August in which detectives spotted a large-scale marijuana cultivation operation in the 22000 block of Morgan Valley Road, according to Lt. Steve Brooks.

On Wednesday, detectives served a search warrant on the property, prompting two men to flee. They were apprehended after a short foot chase and identified as Juan Alvarez, 29, and Apolinar Contreras, 33, both of Lower Lake, the Sheriff’s Office said. A third man detained at the scene was identified as Jorge Padilla, 61, of Bodega Bay.

The property contained two separate marijuana gardens, which originally had an estimated 130 plants, but most had been harvested. Investigators also found more than a half-ton of processed marijuana inside a large commercial metal building.

A fourth man who arrived later, Eduardo Carrillo, 46, of Santa Rosa, also was arrested. All four men were booked into Lake County Correctional Facility on felony charges of cultivating marijuana and possessing it for sale.