Raid finds an illegal weed grow in home owned by Oakland police officer

When officers of the state Department of Cannabis Control swooped in on a neighborhood in the Bay Area city of Antioch this spring, they found what they were looking for — about $1 million in illegal marijuana — and one surprise.

One of the three houses they raided was owned by an officer of the Oakland Police Department.

In an email, the department confirmed that it “is aware of the allegations made against one of our members and is cooperating with outside law enforcement agencies on the case.”

The officer was placed on administrative leave April 30, and the matter is under investigation, the statement said.

Citing an ongoing personnel matter, the Police Department declined to name the officer.

CNN, which first reported the raid, identified the officer as Samson Liu, 38.

Real estate records show that a Samson Liu purchased a 2,800-square-foot house in Antioch in 2020 for $608,000.

The raid highlights the extent of illegal pot operations and the recent entry of Chinese organized crime into the industry that California voters legalized in 2016, the cannabis control agency told the news outlet. Law enforcement officials said the operations were sophisticated and coordinated and showed evidence of “the Chinese criminal syndicate” but declined to further elaborate due to ongoing investigations.

The agency did not immediately respond Tuesday to The Times’ request for comment.

A recent investigation by the Los Angeles Times looked at another facet of illegal cannabis in California. Based on confidential state records, public files, online sales and social networks, The Times found that in the last three years, the use of contraband pesticides on cannabis farms has spread across California.

Such pesticides have shown up now in at least six California counties, at both illegal and licensed growing operations. The poisons were present on half of 25 illegal farms in Siskiyou County raided by a state task force during a July 2023 sting operation that saw three officers require medical treatment after suffering exposure.

In a continuing investigation, The Times found chemicals tied to cancer, liver failure, thyroid disease and genetic and neurologic harm in marijuana sold in licensed dispensaries.

Times research librarian Scott Wilson contributed to this report.