OPD officer on leave after reports of an illegal pot grow at his Antioch residence
Illegal pot grow found in Contra Costa County (California Department of Cannabis Control)
A police officer with the Oakland Police Department is on leave after a large illegal marijuana growing operation was found inside his Antioch home.
KTVU reached out to OPD for comment on Samson Liu, following an investigative report by CNN showing illegal grow houses in California, describing one of the biggest operations in a house owned by Liu.
It's a two-story, five-bedroom property.
The department told KTVU on Monday that it is aware of the allegations against Liu, and it is cooperating with outside agencies.
Liu was placed on administrative leave on April 30, OPD confirmed. The department could not confirm if it is conducting its own investigation of Liu, instead telling KTVU "this is an ongoing personnel matter."
The raid of the Antioch home in April of this year left many homeowners on the street with tons of questions, particularly as more than 80 pounds of marijuana were removed from the residence.
Neighbors were stunned to see police in tactical gear take battering rams to multiple homes on the same block; law enforcement found roughly $1 million worth of illegal cannabis inside the homes.
No arrests were made in connection to the grow site, according to CNN.
Antioch has grown notorious among California's cops, who say that it's now common to find indoor grow operations in the city's suburban homes, CNN confirmed with the California Department of Cannabis Control.
At least 60 houses have been raided since 2022, and police say there are more out there.
Last week, the CDCC executed four search warrants tied to alleged illegal cannabis sites in Contra Costa County.
The searches discovered more than 1,300 pounds of unlicensed cannabis products, with a retail value of more than $2 million.
All four of the locations were red-tagged by law enforcement after the searches.
The CDCC noted that significant mold was found at each of the locations, "underscoring the health risks of the illegal market," the department wrote.
The searches were carried out as part of the Unified Cannabis Enforcement Taskforce, created by California Gov. Gavin Newsom in 2022. The goal of the taskforce is to increase inter-agency coordination between local, state and federal stakeholders.
As of Aug. 9, the UCETF had seized more than $120 million worth of illegal cannabis since the start of 2024.
Newsom said the UCETF's efforts are in support of the legal cannabis industry, which faces huge challenges when competing with the large illegal pot market that exists in California.
Health and safety for consumers is also a concern when it comes to the illegal cannabis industry.
Illegal pot growers do not have to follow the strict health and safety guidelines laid out to protect cannabis workers and consumers, which could leave those people at risk.