Frustrated residents of a
Sonoma County neighborhood filed a lawsuit Tuesday in San Francisco federal
court accusing a marijuana grower of violating racketeering laws by running his
operation without local permits or a state license.
The suit, filed in U.S. District Court in San
Francisco, is an example of the growing impatience in many communities about
the many remaining
illegal marijuana operations in California and the seeming
inability of cities and counties to control them or enforce
regulations.
The neighbors claim the plantation on 3062
Adobe Road, near Petaluma, has disturbed the tranquillity of the area with constant
noise and an “unbearable stench” emanating from 40 cannabis greenhouses.
The suit accuses the defendant, Carlos Zambrano, and his company, Green Earth Coffee, of violating the federal Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act, known as RICO. Flying Rooster LLC, which leases land to the grower, and Exchange Bank, which holds a mortgage on the property, were also named in the suit.
