Six men were arrested Tuesday in a major drug bust that ranged from Landers to Morongo Valley. According to a Sheriff’s press release, about 9 a.m. Tuesday, Sheriff’s detectives served a search warrant at a home in the 2700 block of Shawnee Trail in Landers. During a search of the property, narcotics detectives discovered a Quonset hut-style garage and three shipping containers on the property that had been converted into a large marijuana cultivation operation. Two men at the residence, Othman Quran, 39, of Landers, and Jason Noonan, 27, of Joshua Tree, were taken into custody. Evidence at the Shawnee Trail residence led detectives to two homes in Morongo Valley, across the street from each other in the 9300 block of Craver Road. Four men—Derek Roger, 33, and Siaosi Feao, 55, both of Morongo Valley; and Brian Thalasinos, 36, and Mark Digiulio, 46, both of Palm Springs—were taken into custody. Detectives discovered a Quonset hut-style garage on one of the properties, and several rooms inside both houses had been converted into a large marijuana cultivation operation. In addition, detectives found at all three locations the components for a chemical extraction lab to produce a marijuana derivative know as Honey Butane Oil, also known as Dabs, Wax, or Ear Wax. The process uses butane and is extremely dangerous—with both a high potential for explosion, and to users who ingest marijuana laced with butane. Detectives seized 2,550 marijuana plants, and cultivation and lab equipment from the locations. Othman Quran, Jason Noonan, Derek Roger, Brian Thalasinos, Siaosi Feao, and Mark Digiulio were all arrested for investigation of cultivation and sales of marijuana, manufacturing of a controlled substance, and conspiracy. They were booked at the Morongo Basin Jail with their bail set at $500,000 each.
