The Lake County Sheriff’s Office in Northern California is investigating the death of a 46-year-old woman who worked at a cannabis cultivation site where investigators found the “possible use” of “potentially hazardous” chemicals.
On Aug. 21, an unidentified man dropped off the woman, Yufang Lan, at Adventist Health Clearlake Hospital, located roughly 4 miles from the cultivation site, where she arrived unresponsive and in cardiac arrest, according to the sheriff’s office.
Lan was transferred to a hospital in Saint Helena, about 42 miles south, where she remained in intensive care until she died on Aug. 27, according to the sheriff’s office.
Detectives within the office’s Major Crimes Unit discovered that Lan worked at a licensed cannabis cultivation operation in the 11000 block of Spruce Grove Road in Lower Lake, developing a lead that there was the “possible use of illegal and potentially hazardous chemicals at the property,” according to the sheriff’s office.
The Major Crimes Unit and the office’s Marijuana Suppression Unit, which specializes in dismantling illicit cannabis operations, teamed up with the Lake County Community Oriented Policing and Targeted Restoration (COPTR) Unit to serve a search warrant at the property on Aug. 31, according to the sheriff’s office, whose Patrol Division also assisted.
At the time of their search, investigators discovered more than 55,000 cannabis plants, roughly 6,000 pounds of processed cannabis, two firearms, illegal chemicals and approximately 20,000 gallons of “contaminated liquid requiring specialized disposal,” according to the office. They also contacted about 20 workers.
“Although the property was operating as a permitted cannabis cultivation site, which is regulated and inspected by state and local agencies, the sheriff’s office became involved after detectives developed information during the investigation into Yufang’s death that led them to obtain a search warrant for the property,” according to the Lake County Sheriff’s Office. “Due to the amount of cannabis and hazardous material located at the property, additional resources are being used to safely process the scene and properly dispose of the contaminated material.”
Cannabis Business Times reached out to the sheriff’s office for comment on the investigation, what the contaminated liquid was, and which agency oversaw its disposal. CBT also reached out to the Lake County Division of Environmental Health, asking if its Certified Unified Program Agency (CUPA) is assisting with the hazardous material disposal.
One respondent on the Lake County Sheriff’s Office social media page asked for more details on the contamination. Another commenter said, “Yes, that [would] be helpful since someone died and we live right down the street.”
CBT also reached out to the California Department of Cannabis Control (DCC) for comment, asking whether the state’s cannabis regulators are actively assisting Lake County officials in their investigation, which is expected to continue for “several months.”
The Lake County Sheriff’s Office did not mention the DCC as part of its investigation.
The California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW), the Mendocino County Sheriff’s Office, the California National Guard, and the California Department of Justice provided resources to help with the investigation, according to the Lake County Sheriff’s Office.
CBT reached out to the CDFW for comment, asking about potential off-site migration risks, ongoing pollution concerns, and whether it has conducted, or plans to conduct, water/soil sampling in the area.
The Lake County Sheriff’s Office asked anyone with information regarding the investigation or the circumstances surrounding Lan’s death to contact Sgt. Jeff Mora at (707) 262-4224.
