Nine arrested in major marijuana bust

SANTA BARBARA — A yearlong investigation came to an end Tuesday with the coordinated execution of seven separate search warrants and the arrest of nine people accused of exploiting medical marijuana laws to sell mass amounts of cannabis-related products throughout the state.

Principal suspect among the nine co-conspirators is Erick Bjorklund, 55, who was growing 900 marijuana plants on his residential property in the foothills above the city of Santa Barbara. Bjorklund is also accused of growing marijuana at a Santa Maria property in collaboration with Kelsey O’Reilly, 33, who also faces multiple counts of money laundering.

In addition to his partnership with O’Reilly, Bjorklund was also participating in the bottling of large quantities of distilled cannabis with Jeffrey Vines, 62, described as “a registered high-risk sex offender” on parole and subject to GPS monitoring by Santa Barbara County sheriff’s spokesman Drew Sugars.

Sugars said Vines was “bottling large quantities of hash oil,” as well as violating multiple terms of his parole.

Also apprehended on drug-related charges in the Oct. 12 operation were Rachel Ziemer, 27; Christopher Hawkins, 60; David Ziemer, 53; Kevin Howe, 41, on cultivation of marijuana, and conspiracy; Alina Stillwell, 24; and Ryan Brown, 27.

Evidence seized at various locations throughout the county included processed marijuana found in a child’s bedroom at Bjorklund’s home, 3,600 pounds of unprocessed marijuana, more than 50 pounds of hashish, 28 five-pound cannisters of hash oil, a hash oil conversion lab, $125,000 in cash, nine motorcycles, and a Porsche seized in accordance with California Asset Forefeiture law.