Sheriff's Office Arrests 2 In Butane Hash Oil Lab Search

BOULDER CREEK, CA — The Santa Cruz County Sheriff's Office has dismantled an illegal butane hash oil lab and arrested two people in connection with the incident.

Christopher Akers, 34, of Oregon and Michael Akers, 43, of Washington were arrested on suspicion of charges related to illegally creating the hash oil and booked into Santa Cruz County Jail, the county said in a news release.

The sheriff's office Cannabis Licensing Office served a search warrant in the 600 block of Hartman Creek Road in Boulder Creek Tuesday amid an investigation into a possible unlicensed cannabis operation, the county said.

Detectives found a sophisticated and specially built lab in an outbuilding, with 28 large butane canisters, 1,759 pounds of cannabis and 136 pounds of cannabis concentrate worth more than $2 million.

Cannabis concentrate — better known as hash oil or honey oil — contains a highly concentrated form of tetrahydrocannabinol, the psychoactive ingredient in cannabis.

It's made through a dangerous process that involves butane — a highly flammable gas — plus heat and pressure, the county said. Unregulated labs pose a public safety threat, the county said.

Last week, a Watsonville man was arrested in connection with a butane hash oil lab explosion in the Aromas area of northern Monterey County. One woman was seriously injured.

Santa Cruz County Environmental Health worked to ensure the site was safe, and initiated cleanup and remediation, the county said.

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SEE: Watsonville Man Arrested In Cannabis Lab Explosion