Million Dollar Marijuana Bust

Two men were arrested in a marijuana bust Friday that yielded more than 600 marijuana plants with a street value of over one million dollars, the Riverside County Sheriff’s reported.

The arrests of Maurice Diamond, 50, and Anthony Contreras, 20, both from Norwalk, came on the heels of a number of complaints from community members in the Lake Elsinore area. The complaints centered around the growth and cultivation of plants in the area of Dawson Canyon and Park Canyon, in the unincorporated area south of Corona.

On Friday around 10 a.m., investigators responded to the area and made contact with Diamond and Contreras. The investigation revealed the subjects were in possession of approximately 642 marijuana plants in various stages of growth. The plants were growing outside in a canyon area. The street value of the marijuana is over one million dollars.

The subjects claimed to be growing the marijuana for medicinal purposes; however investigators determined they were cultivating marijuana in order to generate a profit.

Both Diamond and Contreras were arrested and booked for cultivation of marijuana and possession of marijuana for sale. They were booked into Southwest Detention Center.

Anyone with further information about this incident, or any other criminal activity in Lake Elsinore is encouraged to contact Sgt. Pauling at the Lake Elsinore Police Department at (951) 245-3300 or after hours and on weekends at (951) 776-1099.