CASTRO VALLEY — A cell phone violation Saturday led to the seizure of 320 pounds of marijuana, more than $1 million in cash and the arrest of two men, authorities said Monday.
Both the pot confiscation, worth an estimated $1 million plus in street value, and the cash seized, are among the largest ever made by the Alameda County Narcotics Task Force, officials said.
The suspects’ downfall began Saturday when a California Highway Patrol officer tried to pull over a van on Interstate 580 in Castro Valley for a cell phone violation. During the stop, a car cut in front of the CHP vehicle to create a distraction so the van could get away, according to the Alameda County sheriff’s office which has supervision over the task force.
Both suspect vehicles tried to flee but were stopped on city streets by the CHP.
Inside the van officers found 200 pounds of marijuana and eight more pounds in the car.
The task force was brought into the investigation and it learned that the men were connected to some storage lockers in Alameda.
Task force members along with a sheriff’s office canine searched the storage units and found the additional marijuana which had been processed for sale, a suitcase containing the cash and marijuana growing equipment.
Sheriff’s Sgt. Ray Kelly said Monday that even though there are legalized uses of marijuana, the amount seized Saturday shows that it is a “lucrative business with a robust underground trade” that has inherent dangers like robberies, shootings and sometimes killings.
The two men were arrested on suspicion of possession of marijuana for sale and transporting of marijuana.
