Four Bulgarians citizens have been seized in Covelo, northern California, as part of a massive marijuana bust operation.

The officers destroyed more than 2200 marijuana plants and arrested the Bulgarians at Bentley Ridge and Estel Ridge, Covelo, the Ukiah Daily Journal has reported.

The Bulgarians arrested have been identified as Radoslav Ivkov Ayvazov, 29, Petko Petkov, 48, Martin Kamenov Dzaynelev, 28, and David Dzaynelev, 35.

The police said that Petkov resided in Concord, whereas Martin Dzaynelev and David Dzaynelev resided in Walnut Creek while Ayvazov had a local Covelo address registration. All four were booked into county jail on $45,000 bail. The gang were arrested on charges "of growing marijuana, possession of marijuana for retail use and possession of a gun during a felony crime, according to the Sheriff's Office," the Ukriah Daily Journal has said.

As part of a wider operation encompassing also Russian and American marijuana growers, the authorities seized more than 20 000 marijuana plants, which were subsequently destroyed.

The part of the country where the Bulgarians was arrested was apparently notorious for hemp growing and was also known as such by the authorities who bade their time and prepared for the operation.  Police authorities have described it as a "large commercial marijuana growing area".

According to Sheriff's Lt. Rusty Noe, Bulgarians and Russians have been known to come to this area before in order to grow marijuana.

In a separate arrest, an American, John Henry Ross, 60, also a resident of Covelo, was arrested on suspicion of marijuana-growing, possession and with intent to sell, although it was eventually revealed that he had no connection to the Bulgarians.