Police made several arrests and seized over 500 pounds of cannabis and psilocybin mushrooms at a warehouse suspected of being a hub for illegal drug sales in Costa Mesa.
The Laguna Beach Police Department announced Friday that this operation, which took place on Apr. 1, was connected to a previous search warrant executed at Cinder Box Smoke Shop at the end of January.
According to a report by the Los Angeles Times, the January search warrant resulted in law enforcement making multiple arrests at the local smoke shop and seizing about 3.8 pounds of the same kinds of drugs.
It was through that operation that investigators were able to locate the Costa Mesa warehouse and confirm it was used as a hub for the illegal distribution of cannabis and psychedelic drugs.
Months later, authorities from multiple agencies teamed up to execute a search warrant of the hub.
“Upon executing the warrant, officers detained and identified the several suspects connected to the illegal sales of controlled substances,” police said in a release.
Officials did not publically identify any suspects or specify how many were arrested in their initial report.
The department said it recovered about 451 pounds of cannabis products in total, which included loose marijuana buds, THC concentrates and edibles.
In addition, authorities seized about 54 pounds of psilocybin mushrooms, otherwise known as “magic mushrooms” or “shrooms.” These products included chocolate bars, microdose candies and full mushrooms.
“The investigation remains ongoing, and charges related to the unlawful sale of controlled substances are pending,” said the department.
The Laguna Beach Police Department encourages residents to report any suspicious activity or illegal drug sales.
