Officials: Exclusive Central Valley golf club discovered as illegal cannabis business

An exclusive Central Valley golf club was allegedly operating an illegal cannabis business, officials said. 

Investigators arrived at the AOA Private Golf Club on 1817 N. Helm Ave. in Fresno on Thursday morning, where they found thousands of dollars’ worth of illegal cannabis, cannabis products and paraphernalia, the Fresno City Attorney’s Office said in a news release.

Multiple agencies conducted the search, including the Fresno city attorney’s enforcement division, the California Department of Tax and Fee Administration and the Department of Cannabis Control. 

The club, located near Fresno Yosemite International Airport, operated its marijuana business for a “significant amount of time,” the city attorney’s office said in the release. 

After taking items from the shop during the raid, officials are now conducting a criminal investigation. In photos released by City Attorney Andrew Janz’s office, multiple products are shown, including candies allegedly containing THC. Though no suspects were taken into custody, the seized items may warrant a state or local arrest. 

Fresno is the first city in California to participate in a program introduced by California Attorney General Rob Bonta in August 2023 that aims to crack down on illegal cannabis businesses. The program allows for local authorities to partner with the Department of Justice’s legal team to address unlicensed cannabis activities. 

“The City of Fresno will continue to work with our State partners to target illegal cannabis operations that hurt our legal cannabis industry,” Janz said in a statement regarding Thursday’s discovery. “This latest raid shows that illegal and illicit activities are occurring in all areas of our community, including places that appear reputable at first glance.”