KERN COUNTY – On October 4, 2019, California Department of Fish and Wildlife teamed with investigators from the Kern County Sheriff’s to execute search warrants involving the illegal cultivation of marijuana in the Mojave and Rosamond area.

During the service of the search warrants the teams of law enforcement seized:

-4,885 marijuana plants

-561 pounds of processed marijuana with an estimated street value of $2,546,000 being sold at $10.00 a gram

-$4,949 in currency

– and a stolen .357 magnum revolver.

Arrested for illegal cultivation of marijuana were:

• Artemio Lepiz, 60,  of Mojave,
• Clark Lepiz , 25, of Mojave,
• Hamlet Abrahamyan, 26, of Rosamond,
• Fidel Torres, 48,  of Rosamond.

“Those cultivating cannabis must have the proper licenses or their operation will be shut down and their property and money seized,” said California Statewide Law Enforcement Association (CSLEA) President Alan Barcelona.   “CDFW wardens are a great resource for local law enforcement departments who are serving search warrants on suspected illegal operations.  They know the laws surrounding illegal and legal cannabis cultivation and the laws as they pertain to protecting the environment, fish and wildlife.”