$1B Claim Filed Against California County After Hemp Raid

On Oct. 25 a multi-agency investigation in California led to the seizure of $1 billion worth of plants at a hemp farm. Apothio LLC, the farm reportedly at the center of the investigation, has now filed a claim against Kern County.

The 10 million plants seized had an estimated value of over $1 billion on the black market, according to the Kern County Sheriff’s Office. Testing on the plants confirmed a THC level above the 0.3% limit, which the Sheriff’s Office said meant the plants could not be considered hemp.

Apothio LLC and its top executive, Trent Jones, cited California statutes allowing researchers to possess hemp and acknowledged the THC levels of the plants.

Jones told The Bakersfield Californian that he planned to destroy any plants that test above the legal limit for THC, but he “also emphasized that as a qualified business person with a research contract with Cerro Coso Community College in Ridgecrest, he was not legally obligated to test the crop, much less destroy it.”

Kern County now has 45 days to respond to the claim, which could lead to a lawsuit should the county deny it.