71-Year-Old Man Arrested On Suspicion Of Cultivating 300 Illegal Cannabis Plants

CHERRY VALLEY (CBSLA) - On Thursday, 71-year-old Paul Xiong Yang was arrested on suspicion of illegally cultivating hundreds of cannabis plants in Cherry Vally, an unincorporated community adjacent to Beaumont.

Riverside County Sheriff's Sgt. Jamie Hernandez said deputies learned of the outdoor grow site in the 500 block of Trouble Court, just south of Cherry Valley Boulevard, and obtained a search warrant, which was served early Thursday morning.

According to Hernandez, some 300 cannabis plants in various stages of growth were seized for eradication and Yang was arrested without incident, adding that the investigation is ongoing.

Riverside County deputies have conducted numerous raids on properties countywide over the past two years, targeting illegal grows.

The Board of Supervisors has authorized some indoor cultivation sites in unincorporated areas, but those enterprises are strictly regulated and limited to commercially zoned locations. No outdoor commercial marijuana sites have been approved.

Yang was booked into the Smith Correctional Facility in Banning on suspicion of illicit cultivation of marijuana. Bail information was not immediately available.