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Guns, Drugs Recovered In Record Stanislaus County Bust

MODESTO, Calif. (CBS13) -- San Joaquin Valley authorities are touting a recent bust as the biggest indoor marijuana grow operation ever taken down in Stanislaus County's history.

Local and federal authorities served a search warrant Monday in rural Modesto and discovered a facility capable of producing $2 million of marijuana every three months.

The Modesto Police Department said the building, estimated to be 240 feet long and 40 feet wide, contained at least 2,000 growing marijuana plants and 53 pounds of pot ready to be distributed.

Modesto Marijuana Bust
A photo of some of the finished marijuana waiting to be packaged for sale. (Photo provided by Modesto Police Department)

The operation produced as much as 500 pounds of marijuana every three months, authorities said. The Modesto Police Department says the street value of marijuana is $4,000 a pound.

Four rifles and a handgun were also recovered.

Six suspects were found on the property and arrested. The men have been identified as 61-year-old San Mateo resident Andy Wk Chan, 53-year-old San Francisco resident Michael Ru Chau, 35-year-old El Cerrito resident John Zhong Huang, 33-year-old San Leandro resident Chiu Chuen Lau, 32-year-old San Francisco resident Tony Chao Fan Luo and 38-year-old San Francisco resident Yoa Ming Yu.

All of the suspects are facing charges of possession, cultivation and sale of marijuana, conspiracy and weapons possession.

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