Law enforcement authorities raided a massive pot farm in the Santa Monica Mountains above Malibu early Friday morning.
The bust began around 7:30 a.m., according to neighbors who live in the area of Mulholland Highway and Stunt Road. As of 10 a.m., authorities continued carting marijuana out of the area with a helicopter and dozens of trucks.
A helicopter was seen lifting large basketfuls of cut marijuana from a secluded area located near Stuart Ranch State Park (See video at right). A parcel adjacent to the parkland is privately owned by UCLA.
One resident said he believed the marijuana plants were being farmed on State Parks land, but District Superintendent Craig Sap said the pot was not on state land, though State Parks vehicles were photographed at the scene.
Sap later added that the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department was the lead agency during the bust. Calls to the department’s Marijuana Eradication Team investigators were not returned.