$4 million in pot found on Santa Barbara County beach is probed

$4 million in pot found on Santa Barbara County beach is probed

March 18, 2013 | 8:19 am

Santa Barbara County officials were trying to determine Monday how $4 million in marijuana ended up on a local beach.

An estimated 2,000 pounds of marijuana wrapped in plastic bags was found Sunday at Arroyo Quemada Beach. Santa Barbara County sheriff's officials "located an apparently abandoned 30-foot Panga-style boat with two outboard engines and more than 20 fuel containers on board," the sheriff's department said in a statement.

"Sheriff’s detectives located a significant amount of evidence that was consistent with marijuana smuggling activities, including trash and debris that was strewn about the beach and nearby coastal access trails," officials said in the statement.

It was the second big pot discovery this month in Santa Barbara County. Earlier this month, marijuana with an estimated value of at least $1 million was discovered Thursday near a boat that had crashed on a beach near Vandenberg Air Force Base.

The marijuana was found near an overturned boat north of Wall Beach and was removed by Homeland Security investigators.

[For the record, March 18, 8:28 a.m.: A previous version of this post incorrectly stated the site where the marijuana was found as Arroyo Camada Beach; it was at Arroyo Quemada Beach.]

$4 million in pot found on Santa Barbara County beach is probed - latimes.com