In another signal that federal prosecutors are ratcheting up the heat on large commercial marijuana cultivation operations, officials in Sacramento are going after the real estate and bank accounts of growers with civil forfeiture complaints.
Sacramento-based U.S. Attorney Benjamin Wagner filed civil forfeiture complaints to seize land and bank accounts connected with commercial marijuana cultivation operations. “The commercial cultivation of marijuana is a violation of federal law, and commercial marijuana cultivators who attempt to mask their activity through structuring their financial transactions in violation of anti-money laundering laws can expect to have their property seized and forfeited,” Wagner said in a statement.
The growing fields were in five parcels in rural Trinity County and a 40-acre tract in Butte County. The U.S. Attorney’s office also is pursuing money in bank accounts in at least three different banks.
A civil forfeiture complaint was filed against a parcel in Butte County, owned by Salvador Rocha, which was being used for marijuana production, according to a news release by the U.S. Attorney’s office. The authorities are also trying to seize accounts in three banks.
more…
Detailed news link: here
