CA - 7 people fatally shot at illegal marijuana operation in Riverside County, 7 Sept 2020

[JoeFromLB]

7 people shot to death at illegal marijuana operation in Riverside County

AGUANGA, Calif. (VVNG.com) — The Riverside County Sheriff’s Department is continuing to investigate after seven people were shot to death at a residence on Labor Day Monday.

It happened on September 7, 2020, at about 12:33 AM along the 45000 block of Highway 371 in the small community of Aguanga, 18 miles east of Temecula.

According to a Riverside sheriff’s news release, deputies were called to the location reference an Assault with a Deadly Weapon and located a female adult suffering from gunshot wounds. The unidentified female victim was rushed to local hospital where despite life-saving measures she died.

“Deputies found six additional victims suffering from gunshot wounds,” stated the release.”All six victims at the location died as a result of their injuries.”

 

[Cryptic]

Seven people were murdered at a large scale marijuana growing / refining operation at a rural location in Riverside County, California.

Police have stated that the scale and sophistication of the operation is indicative of organized crime. All victims were ethnic Laotians.

7 killed at large-scale California marijuana operation

My guess is that the level of violence will increase as legal, "grey market" and illegal marijuana production in California is said to be out stripping demand.

Over supply means falling prices, and falling prices could increase violence as it leads to desperation. This could be the case in this crime as evidently not even the refined marijuana products were taken.

Rather, the motivation appears to be the murder of the competition. Horrifically, the desire to eliminate the competition may well of extended to victims who were simply associated with the rivals.

 

[coastal]

Yes I have done searches on here many times and didn’t find a thread but then found it later. I think the search feature is a little off.
I could be wrong - just figured if it’s a duplicate a mod could merge.

You're not wrong at all! I posted this story this morning in the thread for missing Dia Abrams, here:

CA - CA - Lydia "Dia" Abrams, 65, Idyllwild, 6 Jun 2020

I doubt there's a connection to Dia Abrams, but these murders happened about an hour away from where she went missing, so who knows?

What a terrible thing!

 

[Clair Louise]

Mmmmm...........

 

[worm]

I’m just surprised that such an illegal market exists in a legal state. I thought they allowed home growing there.

 

[asmi106082]

You're not wrong at all! I posted this story this morning in the thread for missing Dia Abrams, here:

CA - CA - Lydia "Dia" Abrams, 65, Idyllwild, 6 Jun 2020

I doubt there's a connection to Dia Abrams, but these murders happened about an hour away from where she went missing, so who knows?

What a terrible thing!

Thank you! I knew I had read about this on WS! Yes this is absolutely tragic. And the motive was simply to eliminate competition?? Yikes! That’s like cartel scary. JMO.

 

[Cryptic]

I’m just surprised that such an illegal market exists in a legal state. I thought they allowed home growing there.

Some of the illegal California harvest is exported to states where the marijuana has remained illegal. But.... another portion of the illegal harvest is injected into the California's legal sales.

Legal sales in California are heavily taxed and regulated. The use of illegally grown marijuana allows costs associated with those taxes and regulations to be avoided. The use of illegal marijuana is easier as it includes not just plants, but uber refined and easily transportable THC products.

Evidently a certain number of legal sales operations will supplement their product line with the cheaper illegal material. This then allows them to undercut the competition in a market that is said to be featuring declining prices and where every dollar is important.

My guess is that the various drug gangs are not going to let key source of their income go up in smoke (pun intended) via legalization. Rather, they are going to go Mafia from the 1920s. Legal vendors will be approached and "advised" to buy illegal marijuana products from a certain group- or face Riverside like concequences.

 

[Ajai Baktar]

These people were found in different parts of the property according to the first report I heard on the news. This indicates a tactical operation with multiple assailants. Cartel hit? Though probably less likely maybe even a vigilante group (get out of our neighborhood sort of thing)?

 

[Cryptic]

These people were found in different parts of the property according to the first report I heard on the news. This indicates a tactical operation with multiple assailants. Cartel hit?

Though I think the term 'tactical operation' is an over statement as it implies careful planning and a legitimate military purpose, I agree with the possibility of a 'cartel hit'.

I alos think you have a good point in noting that the victims were found through out the property. The number of victims indicates that the attack was not a "spray and pray" drive by warning.

Nor were the large number of deaths the result, of say, cornering people in a room, perhaps with the intent of a drug "rip off", then one of attackers starts shooting into the mass of people at close range in the spur of the moment.

Rather, it indicates that probably multiple attackers were attempting to kill as many of the residents as possible. This points, as you mentioned, to a cartel hit.

It might also be worth investigating whether the victims were highland tribal Laotians (Hmong and other tribes) or lowland Laotians. Highland Laotians like mountain people in olde school Crete, Sardinia, Albania and Appalachia of previous generations have an extended family or clan based social structure.

I have read that clan respect / disrespect disputes amongst highland Asians in the US can include murders or other violence. Maybe the number of victims is indicative of a personal motivation? But, I have never read of a family conflict leading to this scale of violence.

 

[coastal]

There's apparently a lot of - activity? - surrounding the illegal sale of marijuana in southern california right now:

CBS News 8 - San Diego, CA News Station - KFMB Channel 8 | cbs8.com | cbs8.com

Chula Vista announces closure of all illegally-operated marijuana shops

CHULA VISTA, Calif. — The city of Chula Vista claims that all its illegally-operated marijuana dispensaries have all been shut down. According to Lieutenant Dan Peak of the Chula Vista Police Department, the city had dozens of illegal marijuana dispensaries at work. The operation to shut each location down took over a year and concluded on Aug. 28, Peak said...

...According to the department, the operations have resulted in the following:

• 34,636,000 million in marijuana products seized (Retail Value)
• 10 felony arrests
• 16 misdemeanor arrests
• 133 Advisory Warnings (formal warning to stop selling illegal marijuana)
• 6,063,073 million in cash seized
• 23 firearms recovered
• 15 misdemeanor guilty pleas by defendants from warrant operations in 2019

(article continues)

<<<snip

According to this article, at least 30 of these illegal "dispensaries" were shut down in CV, which is 80 miles from Augunga, or an hour and twenty-two minutes, south.

I have been to several of the businesses listed, and never noticed any obvious bad guys/thugs, but then again I'm old enough that everybody associated with weed sseems cool. I didn't see any cops, either...but they were clearly paying attention. So much for my sleuthing skills.

I guess my point is, marijuana is big business around here. There are bound to be conflicts. For the most part, things get resolved, legally and peaceably, and life goes on. What made this one illegal grow op so deadly? SMH

 

[worm]

It’s been an eye opener for me @coastal , but I understand that the illegal market exists in a big way. I just hope they are able to solve this and bring somebody forward for this. Illegal pot farm aside, it’s still a terrible murder.

 

[coastal]

Here's an article I hadn't seen, from the LA Times:

7 people shot to death at marijuana grow house in Inland Empire, authorities say
SEP. 8, 2020
8:02 AM UPDATED8:32 PM

7 people shot to death at marijuana grow house in Inland Empire, authorities say

>>>snip

...Violence, law enforcement officials say, is an omnipresent threat with illegal grows. Illicit harvests bring in huge quantities of cash to operators who typically are blocked from using banks or relying on law enforcement for protection. The killings this week add to seven other homicide cases linked to illegal marijuana operations that Riverside County detectives have investigated this year, the sheriff said...

...Authorities have yet to conclusively identify the property’s owner, but they believe the home was being rented out...

(article continues; video at link)

<<<snip

 

[coastal]

In other news:

20 Tons Of Marijuana Discovered East Of Temecula
Seven arrests were made during Wednesday's raid, and in addition to the cannabis, weapons, a stolen trailer, and a honey oil lab were found.
Sep 24, 2020 9:46 am PT|

20 Tons Of Marijuana Discovered East Of Temecula

>>>snip

RIVERSIDE COUNTY, CA — Law enforcement raids on illegal marijuana operations conducted Wednesday east of Temecula resulted in the discovery of approximately 31,878 plants, 4,165 pounds of processed cannabis, and seven arrests, the Riverside County Sheriff's Department reported.

In total, 20 tons of marijuana were discovered, the department said.


During the operation, 38 search warrants were served in the unincorporated county areas of Anza and Aguanga. In addition to the marijuana, 25 firearms (seven handguns, six shotguns and 12 rifles) were collected for evidence, according to the department.

Law enforcement also found $46,221 in currency that was "collected for asset forfeiture proceedings;" a stolen trailer; and a butane hash oil lab along with 10 jars of concentrated honey oil, the sheriff's department said.

Carbofuran, a toxic pesticide banned in the United States, was found at one of the locations.

(article continues)
<<<snip

 

[worm]

It’s nice to see them turn the attention to pot growers instead of who committed these murders. They have to find a villain somewhere I guess.

 

[Cryptic]

It’s nice to see them turn the attention to pot growers instead of who committed these murders. They have to find a villain somewhere I guess.

They may have been illegal pot growers- which case, legal pot growers are probably loving the police '60s style now- and want more raids.

Like all commodities, pot's price is subject to supply and demand. Evidently, California's legal pot fields can produce four times the historic demand.

California Is Apparently Growing Way Too Much Weed

Over production of any commodity calls prices to fall, or even collapse. Though it is possible that these 10 tons of apparently illegal pot were going to be shipped to other states, my guess is that a good amount of illegal pot is introduced into the California market. Untaxed illegal pot then undercuts legal pot, causing a further price collapse.

 

[worm]

They may have been illegal pot growers- which case, legal pot growers are probably loving the police '60s style now- and want more raids.

Like all commodities, pot's price is subject to supply and demand. Evidently, California's legal pot fields can produce four times the historic demand.

California Is Apparently Growing Way Too Much Weed

Over production of any commodity calls prices to fall, or even collapse. Though it is possible that these 10 tons of apparently illegal pot were going to be shipped to other states, my guess is that a good amount of illegal pot is introduced into the California market. Untaxed illegal pot then undercuts legal pot, causing a further price collapse.

The people that I’ve talked to there say the legal prices are quite high (pun) and the quality varies. It’s easy for the illegal sellers to compete with the prices and taxes of the legal market.

 

[Lusitana]

Do we know who the victims are? Family members? Ages? This might not be weed related.

 

[worm]

Do we know who the victims are? Family members? Ages? This might not be weed related.

Very good point. There are supposedly a lot of pot growers in this area.

 

[coastal]

Do we know who the victims are? Family members? Ages? This might not be weed related.

I have not read anything that identified the victims. Riverside county news outlets aren't usually shy about naming those arrested in other illegal grow busts, so I think this means next of kin had not yet been notified when the articles were written. I'll keep looking for updates and will post what I find.

 

[Cryptic]

Do we know who the victims are? Family members? Ages? This might not be weed related.

The police have stated that twenty individuals lived at the site and that the victims were related to each other.

The victims, however, were ethnically Laotian. Like many immigrant groups, Laotians can have a traditional family structure in which extended family members- and perhaps very extended family members consider themselves as a single family unit. Thus, the relationship of the victims to each other might be pretty distant by modern western standards.

As for other motives, mountain ethnic groups in Laos, like mountain groups in other parts of the world, and in previous generations (well, maybe not so "previous") in Europe and the USA, have a clan honor social structure. I don't know if the people there were mountain or not.

In either case, respect / disrespect disputes among Hmong clans in the USA have included murder, retaliation, and clan sanctioned sexual violence against women as a form of punishment. I have never heard of any Hmong clan violence on anywhere near that scale in the USA though.

Then again, an honor / custody dispute between two Appalachian families just led to collective punishment and eight deaths. So, a clan honor motive could well be with in the realm of possibility. Even with the possibility of a clan type dispute, however, the police seem pretty confident that it is pot based.