The Kern County Sheriff’s Office and the Kern County-High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area Task Force seized over 2,800 marijuana plants and about 800 pounds of processed marijuana while serving a search warrant Wednesday.
The warrant was served at a residence in the 16500 block of Stephanie Street just west of Heath Road in northwest Bakersfield, according to KCSO. While serving the search warrant they discovered a large-scale marijuana growing operation consisting of 2,841 marijuana plants. They also discover around 800 pounds of processed marijuana on the property.
Four men were arrested, according to the sheriff’s office. None of them are Kern County residents.
Gevorg Bangoyan, 30, of Van Nuys, Spo Bangoyan, 32, of Van Nuys, Rafayel Karaptyan,18, of Hollywood, and Hamo Hrachekyan, 41, of Van Nuys, were arrested and booked into the Kern County Jail. The four face charges of cultivation of marijuana, possession of marijuana for the purpose of sales, maintaining a place for drug sales, hazardous water disposal and conspiracy to commit a crime.
While serving the search warrant Kern County Code Compliance was called to the location and determined that the marijuana grow operation violated several building codes and deemed the industrial buildings unsafe for occupancy, according to KCSO.
The sheriff’s office in cooperation with the Kern County-High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area Task Force, the Kern County Probation Department and California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CEP) assisted with the investigation.
