Close to $1 million in pot was found on a beach this week near Vandenberg Air Force Beach.
The marijuana was found near a crashed boat on Thursday. The exact amount of pot wasn’t reported but officials estimate that the drugs had a value of about $1 million . Col. Nina Armagno, 30th Space Wing commander, did say that the marijuana probably took up the entire 20-foot boot. She also estimated that the bales were about 6 feet high.
Armagno said : “What it looks like to me are large bags, kind of like dark-colored trash bags, wrapped up and stacked, and actually they have been covered in what looks like an attempt to camouflage them with brush.”
Armagno said that a 20-foot long Panga boat was found on the beach. The engine had been removed but authorities weren’t sure if it had been removed on purpose or if it had broken off during the crash
Armagno added : “Earlier this afternoon, our defenders discovered what appeared to be a large stash of illegal narcotics on our beach here at Vandenberg Air Force Base … We immediately secured the scene and started searching the beaches and the local area … I ordered all facilities to be searched and secured.”
Homeland Security took over the investigation in order to locate any potential suspects. Helicopters and boats have searched the waters surrounding the Air Force Base while officers searched the beaches on foot. So far, no arrests have been made.
Here’s a video of a Col. Nina Armagno speaking at a press conference.