Monterey County District Attorney Investigators Seize and Destroy 1,400 Pounds of Unlawful Processed Cannabis in Rural Salinas

SALINAS, California- Monterey County District Attorney Jeannine M. Pacioni announced on Thursday, June 29 that the District Attorney’s Office’s Bureau of Investigations, in cooperation with the California Department of Cannabis Control and local law enforcement, discovered an unlawful cannabis operation in rural Salinas. The operation was licensed and permitted; however, it was not reporting any cultivation activity to the state and county regulators. During a lawful inspection of the property, law enforcement learned that the operation was in fact cultivating, harvesting, and processing cannabis. The business was not reporting any of the cannabis activities in the California Cannabis Track and Trace system (CCTT), as required by law. In total, law enforcement found and destroyed over 1,400 pounds of unlawful cannabis. The investigation is ongoing. All cannabis activity in California is highly regulated. The CCTT system is designed to track and trace cannabis throughout all stages of cultivation, processing, and distribution to customers. It is designed to keep untested, untaxed, and unregulated cannabis from entering the legal market.

The licensed cannabis industry in Monterey County is currently experiencing economic hardship

caused in part by a substantial decrease in the market value of processed cannabis. One contributing

factor to this decrease is the supply of cannabis products that the illegal industry brings to the

market. Unlike legal cannabis, these illicit products are not tested for consumer safety, and they are

not taxed for public revenues. Additionally, illegal pesticides often used at unlawful cultivations are

extremely destructive to the environment.

The Monterey County District Attorney’s Office is committed to ensuring fair competition in the

licensed cannabis industry. Additionally, it is committed to protecting consumers and the

environment in Monterey County. The Monterey County Cannabis Enforcement Unit will continue

enforcement operations throughout the remainder of the year.

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Fatal 3 Vehicle Accident Involving Wrong Way Driver on Highway 101 Outside of King City on January 10

A fatal multi-vehicle collision happened on Saturday night, January 10 at 9:51 p.m. on northbound Highway 101 outside of King City. According to the King City CHP a 2016 Toyota Tacoma driven by 65-year-old Paul Lee Cooper of Otis, Oregon was heading the wrong way going southbound in the northbound lanes south of Jolon Road, while a 2006 Toyota Corolla driven by 33-year-old Dinora Maribel Gomez of Salinas was heading northbound on Highway 101 south of Jolon Road in the #1 lane and a Honda Accord driven by 36-year-old Ignacio Sangerman of King City was also traveling northbound on Highway 101 south of Jolon Road but was in the #2 lane. Due to Cooper's level of impairment his vehicle went the wrong way on Highway 101 going directly into the path of Gomez' vehicle causing the rear of her car to crash with the front of the vehicle driven by Sangerman. Cooper was arrested, sustaining major injuries and was transported to Natividad Medical Center in Salinas where as of January 12 is...

Monterey County DA Releases Preliminary Information Concerning an Officer Involved Shooting Incident that Occurred Outside of Soledad on December 16

SALINAS, California- Monterey County District Attorney Jeannine M. Pacioni on December 19 released preliminary information concerning the officer involved shooting (OIS) which occurred at about 1:20 a.m. outside the city of Soledad on December 16, 2025. Just before 1:00 a.m., Monterey County Sheriff’s Deputy Carlos Pina, who has been a peace officer for 10 years all with MCSO, and Deputy Blain Councilman, each in separate patrol cars, were dispatched to 32097 McCoy Road. A resident at the farm labor camp reported a suspicious individual with a handgun whose white Honda 4 door sedan was parked in space 18 at the complex. Before parking there, the suspect drove around and around, stopped in front of the reporting party’s (RP’s) truck, and got out. The RP could hear music. Deputy Pina drove the lead patrol car and arrived just after 1:20 a.m. His dashcam video, which does not record sound but which he installed on his own and at his own expense, depicts the following: He drove down ...

King City City Council Announces Selection of José Arreola as New City Manager

January 7, 2025-Following an extensive recruitment process, José Arreola has been selected by the King City City Council to be its next City Manager. Arreola will replace Steve Adams, who is retiring after serving in the position for the past 10 years. Arreola was selected from 31 applicants and 8 finalists for the position. The King City City Council will formally consider the proposed city manager contract at its meeting on Tuesday night, January 13. Arreola's first day on the job is scheduled to be February 23. José Arreola has a distinguished career of serving the community with a particular commitment to youth. He has worked for the City of Salinas for 12 years as their Community Safety Program Manager, Community Safety Administrator and Assistant to the City Manager. Among other responsibilities, Arreola has led several programs to eliminate gang violence which aligns well with the City of King’s efforts and priorities. Prior to that, Arreola worked as an Educa...

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