Explosion At Desert Marijuana Honey Oil Lab Ends In One Arrest

PALM SPRINGS, CA — A 22-year-old woman suffered major injuries in the pre-dawn explosion of a marijuana honey oil lab in a Palm Springs apartment Tuesday and a 25-year-old man was arrested.

The Palm Springs Police Department received a report of an explosion in the 600 block of East Vista Chino Road at approximately 4 a.m., police said. Investigators determined the explosion was caused by a cigarette that had been lit during manufacturing of honey oil, police said.

Ryan Martin, of Palm Springs, was arrested on suspicion of arson with great bodily injury and manufacturing a controlled substance. He suffered minor injuries.

A third person involved was taken to a hospital for treatment of a minor injury and was questioned by investigators.

Martin was booked into the Smith Correctional Facility in Banning on $500,000 bail. His arraignment is scheduled for Thursday.

The Riverside County Sheriff's Department Special Investigations Bureau and the Coachella Valley Narcotics Task Force also assisted with the investigation.

Honey oil is created when parts of the marijuana plant are soaked in a solvent or blasted with butane gas, which are highly flammable, according to the Fire & Burn Foundation. The result is a substance consumed by smoking, eating or vaporizing. Manufacturing honey oil is a felony.

— By City News Service