Police: Mom made millions on pot-growing operation

SAN BERNARDINO (CBSLA)  — San Bernardino police busted a major marijuana grow operation Wednesday.

And officials say the drug king pin behind the grow was actually a drug queen — and a mother from Pacific Palisades.

The operation in San Bernardino had more than 24,000 plants. The plants were confiscated Wednesday by San Bernardino police and the federal officials.

The huge operation is normally associated with a druglord, but this stash belonged to a mommy, 43-year-old Stephanie Smith, a Pacific Palisades woman, police said.

Smith was making millions of dollars per month running the operation, sources said.

Police said they got a tip months ago that the pot grow, 80 miles west of San Bernardino, was in operation inside an empty building.

Detectives were immediately suspicious that the supposedly empty building had an electric bill of $67,000.

The investigation revealed a major operation with employees, guards, gates and a missing building permit.

Police said Smith was not authorized to grow marijuana on this scale.

A red “Unsafe” sign has been placed on the building.

Smith was reportedly questioned Tuesday. She was not arrested. It is unclear if she will be arrested.

If charges are filed, she faces a misdemeanor, jail time and a fine at the state level.

Police did say all of the pot will go up in smoke.