Deputies of Merced County conducted a search that uncovered the largest marijuana growth ever to be found in the Central Valley. This plantation was found in the furthest end of Palm Avenue in Dos Palos. Sergeant Raymond Framstad got word from an unidentified source on August 20th, that there was a cultivation area filled with hemp plant at the edge of Pal Avenue in Dos Palos.
Sheriff Warnke said, “There is no problem with the one cultivating and growing the hemp. It is more of a problem with the external factors that will invade our boundaries. The guys with guns, the cartels and everything else revolving around the sale of marijuana.”
The Investigation
According to the Sheriff’s office, information was sent anonymously in regard to the cultivation of hemp and the Pal Avenue in Dos Palos. The sergeant to receive this information was Sergeant Framstad who was particularly conversant with the property as he had a talk with the property’s owner, Chad Crivelli in earlier months. Chad Crivelli had made the Merced County Sheriff aware of his intentions to plant and cultivate hemp.
During a sweep of the area, Framstad met a man who told him he had been hired by Mr. Crivelli to irrigate 2 marijuana fields. Court documents indicate that Sergeant Framstad instructed the employee to get rid of the plants to avoid any further investigation as it was illegal to plant and irrigate marijuana.
THC Content of the 194 Acres of Marijuana
Tasters were selected from Crivelli’s grow by investigators to determine the THC level of the marijuana plants. 3 % THC categories a hemp plant. Any percentage above that would classify it as a marijuana plant. The DEA Laboratory on October 5th confirmed that the samples collected from Crivelli’s property had a higher percentage of THC concentration and qualify to be called marijuana.
