LUCERNE, Calif. – A followup investigation for an unrelated case has resulted in the discovery of a butane honey oil lab and one arrest.
Deputies arrested 38-year-old Raymond Stroud Bowman of Nice for manufacturing a controlled substance, possession of a controlled substance for sale, possession of marijuana for sale, possession of a narcotic for sale, cultivating marijuana and keeping a place to sell narcotics, according to Lt. Steve Brooks of the Lake County Sheriff's Office.
At 9 a.m. Friday, Aug. 15, deputies responded to an address located in the 6000 block of First Avenue in Lucerne to conduct followup on an unrelated case, Brooks said.
During the investigation, Brooks said deputies noticed several items inside the residence which were components to a butane honey oil, or BHO, lab.
BHO labs are used to extract the tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) from the plant material by using butane as a solvent. THC is the psychoactive constituent of the cannabis plant, Brooks said.
The most dangerous aspect of a BHO lab is the manufacturing process. Brooks said butane is extremely volatile and large amounts of it are used in mostly closed-room makeshift labs. Fires and explosions caused by these makeshift labs have become very common in Lake County, threatening the safety of its citizens.
The deputies contacted members of the Sheriff’s Narcotics Task Force, who responded to the First Avenue address, Brooks said.
Narcotics detectives contacted Bowman and 22-year-old Jessica Louise South of Lucerne. Brooks said South told detectives that Bowman does not live at the residence.
She escorted the detectives to the spare bedroom, which is where the deputies had located the lab components. Brooks said South told detectives that most of the property in the spare room was left behind from the previous tenants and the rest belongs to Bowman.
In plain view detectives located a BHO glass extraction tube filled with marijuana and a glass dish containing honey oil. Brooks said they located several bulk bags of processed marijuana and shake, which was leftover from trimming the plants.
The bulk marijuana was later weighed and determined to have a gross weight of 25.8 pounds. A large cardboard box containing cases of butane canisters, filters for the extraction tube and a digital scale was also located in the room, Brooks said. All of the items were seized as evidence.
South said Bowman recently brought some of his property to the residence. She admitted to having a relationship with Bowman, but denied that he was living there, Brooks said.
When detectives told South that they had located a stack of paperwork in the room belonging to Bowman, she admitted that he was living at the residence with her. She said Bowman had instructed her to tell law enforcement that he was not living there, so her residence could not be searched. Brooks said she also admitted that Bowman had requested to produce honey oil inside her house, but she refused.
Bowman told detectives that the paperwork located in the spare room was his, but denied ownership of lab components. Brooks said Bowman denied living at the residence, but admitted to bringing his property there.
Detectives searched the master bedroom and the nightstand which was being used by Bowman. Inside the nightstand detectives located 21.3 grams of butane honey oil, two digital gram scales, two glass meth pipes, 8.5 grams of methamphetamine, .2 grams of heroin, 8 lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) pills, 5 diazepam pills and evidence indicating the sales of narcotics. 48 marijuana plants were also eradicated from the backyard Brooks reported.
Bowman was arrested, and during a search conducted as a result of his arrest detectives located two baggies containing methamphetamine in Bowman’s possession. Brooks said the two baggies had a gross weight of 1.1 grams.
Detectives also located a blue plastic cap with a dried used cotton ball stuck inside it and a hypodermic needle, Brooks said.
Bowman was transported to the Lake County Hill Road Correctional Facility and booked. He remained in custody early Friday on a no-bail hold.
The Sheriff’s Narcotics Task Force can be reached through its anonymous tip line at 707-263-3663.