Three Porterville residents found processing pounds of pot for sale

Three Porterville residents were arrested Thursday after detectives found them processing several pounds of marijuana for sale, Porterville police said.

Detectives with the narcotics investigations unit responded to a home on the 400 block of North Cottage Street, near Morton Avenue, around 1:30 p.m. to help code enforcement with a marijuana compliance check, Lt. Dominic Barteau said.

Police saw several people, identified as Alejandro Ramirez, 29, Lloyd Cotton, 29, and Amy Vanasen, 27, in the backyard processing several pounds of marijuana, Barteau said. Ramirez had cultivated 40 marijuana plants in his backyard and processed it with the help of Cotton and Vanasen.

All three were arrested. A subsequent search of the house revealed more processed marijuana inside, along with 110 grams of concentrated cannabis (also known as honey oil or wax), scales and packaging materials, Barteau said. Detectives seized a total of about 18 pounds of marijuana.

All three were later booked into the Tulare County Jail with $35,000 bail under multiple charges, including cultivation of marijuana and possession of marijuana for sale.

This story was originally published April 7, 2016 at 8:56 PM with the headline "Three Porterville residents found processing pounds of pot for sale."