Three Southern California men were detained in Oroville in connection with the discovery of an illicit home laboratory producing enriched marijuana derivatives, the Butte County Sheriff’s Office announced Tuesday.
The lab was located in a detached shed on the 100 block of Viewcrest Drive.
Law enforcement officials have complained of a growing trend of amateur chemists attempting to refine marijuana into highly potent substances known as honey oil and kief. The process typically involves butane, a potentially explosive solvent.
During the raid Monday, detectives seized 8.5 pounds of concentrated marijuana, over 5 pounds of kief and over a pound of butane honey oil. The three men, ranging in age from 22 to 35, are each being held in lieu of $140,000 bail.
