Indoor marijuana operation discovered
SANTA BARBARA — Four Santa Barbara residents were arrested Sunday on charges of conspiracy, cultivation of marijuana, and possession of marijuana for sale, said Officer Drew Sugars, spokesman for the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Department.
A warrant search of the Koster home on the 1700 block of Glen Annie Road in Santa Barbara County where Susan Koster, 52, Amanda Hilton, 23, and George Foxx, 36 were initially contacted revealed a sophisticated indoor marijuana garden stocked with more than 100 growing plants, as well as 10 pounds of fully processed marijuana, $10,000 in equipment, and $27,000 in cash.
Kenneth Koster, 45, owner of the residence, was arrested in Oklahoma en route to Florida while in possession of marijuana estimated in value at $165,000; the contraband collected at the Goleta residence reportedly has a street value in excess of $400,000.
While unconfirmed, Santa Barbara authorities are investigating the involvement of local marijuana dispensaries, operating legally under California Proposition 215, as purchasing outlets for Koster’s operation.
