OAKLAND POLICE SEIZE NEARLY 400 POUNDS OF MARIJUANA

OAKLAND -- Acting on a tip, Oakland police on Saturday made their
largest seizure ever of marijuana, finding 300 to 400 pounds of the
weed stored in metal tool boxes inside a dilapidated East Oakland garage.

Officers said the minimum value of the marijuana is $1.5 million to $2
million, depending on the final tally of how much was actually seized.

Patrol Lt. Paul Berlin said, "I've never seen that much seized in my
25 years here." Other veteran narcotics investigators contacted said
they could not recall a larger bust by Oakland police.

Sgt. Ron Lighten said a San Leandro man, whose name he would not
release and who had rented the detached garage in the 7800 block of
Hillside Street from the house's owner, was arrested on a variety of
drug charges.

The man, who told police he works as a baker in Oakland, was arrested
after allegedly bringing some 30 pounds of marijuana to his car from
the garage. His name was not released by police pending completion of
the investigation, but Lighten confirmed the man has a criminal record
and has been deported in the past.

Lighten, who supervises Community Policing Unit 5, said the seizure
resulted from a tip received by Gang Unit Officer Geno Guerrero that
large amounts of marijuana were being stored in the ramshackle, wooden
garage.

The information was given to Lighten, who was already planning an
undercover drug operation Saturday morning using officers from other
units.

He sent three of those officers -- Mike Gantt, Nishant Joshi and Sekou
Millington -- to watch the house.

About 8 a.m., the officers saw the suspect bring a plastic garage bag
containing what turned out to be 30 pounds of marijuana from the
garage and put it into the trunk of his car , police said.

"It looks like he was packaging up getting ready for a delivery," said
Lighten, who described the suspect as a "mule" who transported and
delivered the marijuana for others.

When the officers approached him they could smell the odor of
marijuana coming from the garage, Lighten said.

The scene was secured until search warrants were obtained and served
by Lighten's unit. A search warrant was also served Saturday night at
the suspect's San Leandro home.

Inside the cold and messy garage, police found three metal tool chests
of different sizes, similar to those used at construction sites. The
largest was 3-by-5-by-3-feet and the smallest 2-by-5-by-2-feet, police
said.

Lighten said each was allegedly full of marijuana packaged in
different amounts.

Some of the marijuana, for example, was in 9-pound "bricks," some in
2-pound freezer bags and some stuffed into large plastic bags like the
one the man had brought to his car.

On a table in the garage police found a scale, more plastic bags full
of marijuana and an open safe that was empty.

Also found were documents that appeared to be orders placed for
deliveries, police said.

Lighten said the residents of the house, who were also renters, said
the man was not related to them and claimed they knew nothing about
how the garage was being used. They were released after
questioning.

Lighten said police are not sure where the marijuana was harvested,
and have not ruled out the possibility it was smuggled from Mexico.

Residents in the mostly residential area of smaller, older homes were
not too surprised when told about the seizure.

One woman, who did not want her name used, said she never suspected
any illegal activity at that particular home, but has worried in the
past about drug deals in the area.

"Basically you're not safe because you don't know what's going to
happen," she said. "I might just be walking down the street and just
be an innocent victim."

Another neighbor, who did not know the residents of the house or the
man who rented the garage, said the bust did not surprise her.

"It's Oakland," said the woman, who did not want her name used. "It's
always happening here."