URL: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v16/n583/a01.html
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Votes: 0
Pubdate: Thu, 25 Aug 2016
Source: Chico Enterprise-Record (CA)
Copyright: 2016 Chico Enterprise-Record
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Website: http://www.chicoer.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/861
Note: Letters from newspaper’s circulation area receive publishing priority
DRUG RAID ON DOWNTOWN CHICO BUSINESS NETS MARIJUANA-REFINING EQUIPMENT
Staff Reports
Chico – A nearly year-long investigation resulted in a raid Tuesday on a downtown business that police say netted marijuana-refining equipment for sale and landed three men in jail.
The Dungeon, a jewelry and smoking shop on the 100 block of Broadway, had been under investigation for 11 months, according to a news release from the Butte Interagency Narcotics Task Force. The narcotics agents served a search warrant Tuesday around 1:30 p.m.
Four complete closed loop butane honey oil production systems, components for additional systems, including extraction tubes, presses and commercial grade ovens, more than 1,000 cans of butane and 13 canisters of 14-pound butane refrigerant were found at the store, according to the release.
Butane honey oil is a concentrated form of THC – the active drug in marijuana – that generally has the color and consistency of honey. It is made by using butane to extract THC from the marijuana plant fibers.
Mahmoud Saeidah, 34, of Chico, was arrested on suspicion of selling laboratory equipment for the purpose of unlawfully manufacturing controlled substances and suspicion of being a felon in possession of a firearm.
Nizar Saeidah, 43, of Chico, was arrested on suspicion of selling laboratory equipment for the purpose of unlawfully manufacturing controlled substances and maintaining a place to sell that equipment.
Ehad Saeidah, 21, of Chico, was arrested on suspicion of selling laboratory equipment for the purpose of unlawfully manufacturing controlled substances.
The three men were booked into the Butte County Jail in Oroville.
“The manufacturing of butane honey oil presents a risk to the public, a high risk,” said Sgt. Matt Nowicki of the narcotics task force.
Nowicki said butane ignites easily during the manufacturing process and has caused fires and explosions in homes and apartments throughout Butte County.
MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom