An April 16 Pine Mountain pot raid allegedly linked to Fresno-based Asian crime organizations led law enforcement to the discovery of 15.5 pounds of processed bud, 856 marijuana plants and the arrests of two men.

Deputies from the County of Mendocino Marijuana Eradication Team, Mendocino County sheriff's deputies and agents from the Mendocino Major Crimes Task Force served the search warrant for a residence on Chinquapin Drive.

The Chinquapin Drive setup was described by officers as a sophisticated indoor grow in a metal outbuilding and garage on a 12.7-acre parcel. The grow room equipment included lights, carbon-filter ventilation systems, carbon dioxide augmentation and dehumidifiers.

Richard Lieng, 25, of Willits, and Tony Lieng, 34, a Vietnamese national with a Clovis address, were arrested at the residence on suspicion of cultivation and possession of marijuana for sale. The property was purchased by Tony Lieng and Truong Lynn in October 2006.

The search is linked to the previous arrest of a Fresno man in Brooktrails, says Special Agent Robert Nishiyama, of the MMCTF.

Danny Coong Lay, 36, was stopped March 23 with 300 marijuana clones in his car, according to officers. Officers then discovered 321 more marijuana plants in a sophisticated grow inside the Birch Road residence rented by Lay. Lay was then arrested on suspicion of cultivation and possession of marijuana for sale and knowingly renting a facility for the commission of a crime.

The grow operations appear to be linked to Asian organized crime groups operating out of Fresno, says Nishiyama. The groups are apparently moving into Mendocino County from the Bay Area and Stockton areas.