Large CO2 oil bust in Cali

[Calimed]

Taken from: http://www.pressdemocrat.com/home/2680741-181/police-find-large-scale-hash-oil-making

Police find large-scale hash oil-making plant in Cotati

Police discovered a large hash-oil manufacturing operation at a Cotati business park Friday, seizing hundreds of pounds of marijuana, gallons of hash oil and expensive equipment.

Officers were still looking for Joseph Gallagher, 34, of Sebastopol, who they suspect was making the cannabis derivative at the business, Cotati Police Lt. Bill French said.

Police began investigating activities at the two-story suite behind a roll-up door on Aaron Street last week, acting on a tip received from the Rohnert Park Public Safety Department.

Officers aided by a Sonoma County sheriff’s narcotics detective, officers from Rohnert Park police, the state Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control and the Rancho Adobe Fire Department entered the business at about 10 a.m., French said.

One of two rooms constructed inside the business housed a large carbon dioxide compressor worth more than $130,000 used to strip THC from marijuana leaves, also called shake, to make hash oil, according to police. An upstairs room was full of pots and pans, double boilers, jars and other equipment — much of it coated in sticky residue — used to process and package the oil. Half-gallon Mason jars full of the sticky orange substance filled a refrigerator.

The compressor was remarkable for its size — about an 8-foot-long and 6-foot-wide device of coils and valves that took about a half-hour to disconnect, French said.

“It’s the largest operation any of us have seen,” he said.

The method using carbon dioxide to make hash oil is less toxic than those that use butane gas or isopropyl alcohol, yet the pressure required to extract THC is nonetheless dangerous, according to French.

“It’s very dangerous and it puts people and nearby businesses at risk,” French said.

The suite is in a commercial district west of Highway 101 near other small businesses that range from a frame shop and food distribution company to construction firms and auto shops.

Doesn't seem like having a $130k Eden Labs machine is considered safe by the law.

 

[NEGT1]

Wonder how they were operating.

 

[oceangrownkush]

That's shitty, I always thought c02 didn't count as chemical concentration and was exempt from manufacturing charges..

 

[SkyHighLer]

Absurd. Appaling. Shame, shame, shame on the those we allow over us.
From the comments:

"D Ed Head Dave • an hour ago
I know this person. I've been in this facility. It is a legal, tax paying, trademarked and branded operation that is not in violation of any state or local laws. This person is not "in hiding" as another poster suggested, he happens to be out of state, and has been for a week or more. The photos are not of the lab, they are increase evidence storage facility of the cotati pd. this article illustrates the lack of knowledge in our enforcement departments, and will cost thousands for the taxpayers of Sonoma county to find a permit or licensing violation at best. Total waste."

 

[CarefulGrower]

That's shitty, I always thought c02 didn't count as chemical concentration and was exempt from manufacturing charges..

Super critical c02 is a solvent, unless california has 'c02 allowed' laws it is the same as running bho, qwiso, hexane etc... but non-flammable.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Supercritical_carbon_dioxide

 

[Chonkski]

Wow.. Those guys must have been making too much money, Uncle Sam got offended.

Love how everyone of these complete BS articles are full of comments opposing and seeing right through them.

 

[SirSteely]

Law enforcement is out of control. The mindset of the drug war has turned these officials into complete idiots.
Sonoma county residents should take note and un-elect the whole lot of them.
And I hope the extractors are cleared and reimbursed by the county.

 

[Gry]

Life is politics and this has the feel of politics to me. This is the same playbook they have always used . The comments section of the attached link is real interesting. Can't help but think at this point, that safety has far more to do with political selection of backers than gear.

 

[BrnCow]

You can lead a dumb ass to water but you can't make him think!

 

[Gray Wolf]

An example of why we must rally the vote and change the laws. Until the laws no longer support private agendas, we aren't safe from local law enforcement interpretations.

Even if these folks get their stuff back, it will still cost them a bundle in legal fees.

 

[mendo420]

It goes to show you the RISK we all take.

 

[Permacultuure]

If you buy are machine that expensive, expect heat no matter what....You'd better have a legit source for those funds and at the very least an LLC in ownership of the machine ect.

There are rumors that Edens been forced to disclose information to the feds on these large purchases.......they did it with grow shops not to long ago......

 

[mr.shiva]

There is nothing legal about co2 extraction of cannabis in the state of California, nada. That dude won't be getting his Eden labs setup back. Up the road in mendocino it would have probably also involved a large hazmat bill to dismantle & remove unlike the 30mins of dismantling those cops in the article did. In Humboldt that would be a 500k bail for sure, no good deed goes unpunished up there.

 

[Bulldog420]

They claim that machine was dangerous because of pressure?????

Has anybody been in the machine room in a 6 story building or bigger? The pressure they have in just the water pipes is more pressure than this machine can produce. I was on a job where plumber was working on a 8" supply water line and thought the water was shut off. He took the 8" cap off a T and the pressure sent the lid 6" into a concrete wall. Right past dudes head, fired on the spot. 180psi in 8" lines......This was in an apartment building, where people live. The feds should close it all down!!! Fucking loosers.

 

[flatslabs]

Safety aspect aside, those are just headline fuel and I cringe at the thought of all that nice machinery being destroyed... but, I find it hard to feel remorse for someone capable of obtaining the necessary funds to acquire all this expensive gear and not setup somewhere he is legally allowed to operate it.

15 years ago you had to jump through hoops to get basic lab glassware that even had a chance of being used for clandestine chemistry, despite your intentions. I recall someone trying to source triple neck flasks for us was quite a challenge and we were just doing basic aromatic herb extracts, not an illegal item in sight, and this was all before the government went crazy over 9/11. So if you think you can just go buy a 100k piece of gear from a lab equipment manufacturer and they aren't going to tell Uncle Sam, I would expect you to be very young or naive, or both.

 

[lost360]

They claim that machine was dangerous because of pressure?????

Has anybody been in the machine room in a 6 story building or bigger? The pressure they have in just the water pipes is more pressure than this machine can produce. I was on a job where plumber was working on a 8" supply water line and thought the water was shut off. He took the 8" cap off a T and the pressure sent the lid 6" into a concrete wall. Right past dudes head, fired on the spot. 180psi in 8" lines......This was in an apartment building, where people live. The feds should close it all down!!! Fucking loosers.

Lol I install commercial flooring I seen them burst that mistake flooded 5 floors we got payed to do the job twice

 

[krunchbubble]

They claim that machine was dangerous because of pressure?????

Has anybody been in the machine room in a 6 story building or bigger? The pressure they have in just the water pipes is more pressure than this machine can produce. I was on a job where plumber was working on a 8" supply water line and thought the water was shut off. He took the 8" cap off a T and the pressure sent the lid 6" into a concrete wall. Right past dudes head, fired on the spot. 180psi in 8" lines......This was in an apartment building, where people live. The feds should close it all down!!! Fucking loosers.

Was thinking the same thing, pressure?

Better not shake a 2 littler bottle of soda! Illegal pressure!!!

 

[theJointedOne]

theres a good restaurant down by the water under the bridge

 

[mr.shiva]

def interested to see how this plays out considering it wasn't the dreaded bho. Funny this is the same county that just hosted the cannabis (oil) cup back in july at the county fair grounds. California is a weird place.

 

[RHH]

Google "autoclave accidents" and let me know how safe you think supercritical is. Dry ice plug formation, o-rings blowing out, etc. There is a lot of calculations necessary to design valves where phase changes take place. Ugh, gives me so much anxiety. I dare say butane is safer if only because it's now predictable.