The upscale California city, where housing costs are twice the national average, is OVERFLOWING with drug dens

Nestled between the San Joaquin River and three stunning national parks, the California city of Antioch seems like a peaceful part of the state’s East Bay region, but in reality it is home to a massive underground criminal organization.

You’d never guess that, given the neighborhood’s affluence. In fact, residents pay 93 percent more than the national average to live in this upscale area. The average home costs $588,000, while renters pay an average of $2,850 per month, according to Fly Homes.

But behind the sunny exterior of this Golden State city lies the shady illegal marijuana trade that operates behind the walls of the city’s hundreds of run-of-the-mill houses.

According to NBC, Antioch police have raided about 60 suspected illegal marijuana dens over the past two years, and officials believe there may be hundreds more in operation.

Despite the high number of arrests, only two people were arrested and charged – and both got away with minor offenses thanks to California’s lax laws.

Antioch, Oakland police officer Samson Liu, 38, was placed on leave on April 30 after the farm was discovered on the property (pictured).

While the median household income in Antioch is $90,709, some residents earn significantly more through this shady business.

An April drug raid on a fancy two-story, five-bedroom home in Antioch uncovered hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of illegal cannabis in that one home alone.

Officials said the property belonged to 38-year-old Oakland police officer Samson Liu, who has since been placed on leave.

It is unclear whether Liu lived in the house or rented it out to tenants. No arrests have been made so far.

In another raid this spring, authorities discovered about $1 million worth of illegal marijuana in another five-bedroom home on affluent Shell Ridge Way.

An April drug raid on a fancy two-story, five-bedroom home in Antioch uncovered hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of illegal cannabis in that one home alone (pictured).

Bill Jones, director of law enforcement for the California Department of Cannabis Control, told CNN that the illegal marijuana trade in Antioch is largely run by the “Chinese crime syndicate.”

In fact, the operation is so large that law enforcement authorities believe there are more Chinese nationals involved in the illegal marijuana trade than gang members of Mexican cartels.

However, Vanda Felbab-Brown, an expert on international crime at the Brookings Institute, told CNN that Chinese and Mexican criminal gangs often work together to smuggle Chinese migrants into the United States and use them in the illegal marijuana trade.

She told CNN that the US government urgently needs to increase its surveillance on the issue.

“We have given China’s military decisions the highest priority, but Chinese and organized crime more broadly have not been a high priority in intelligence gathering,” Felbab-Brown said.

Antioch’s sunny exterior belies the shady underground marijuana trade that operates behind the walls of hundreds of the city’s homes.

Pictured: Historic buildings in downtown Antioch, East Bay, California

“That has to change.”

The illegal marijuana trade in Antioch is just the tip of the iceberg and represents a statewide problem throughout California.

Criminals in the Golden State who are found guilty of trafficking illegal marijuana in any quantity face only a misdemeanor charge, except in extreme cases.

Exceptions apply, for example, if the illegal marijuana was sold to a child or if the offender was already a registered sex offender.

Antioch has built a reputation for providing high-yield indoor grow operations (Pictured: Cannabis from a raid last week)

Despite the high number of raids in Antioch over the past two years, only two people have been arrested and charged – and both got away with misdemeanors thanks to California’s lax laws. (Pictured: California Governor Gavin Newsom)

Siskiyou County Sheriff Jeremiah LaRue, whose northern California district is home to a thriving illegal trade, told CNN: “Whether you have seven plants or 70,000, it’s still a misdemeanor.”

“Actually, it’s just a joke.”

In fact, according to economist Beau Whitney, the state is responsible for producing about 40 percent of all marijuana grown in the country, and 75 percent of that output is illegal.

California legalized marijuana for recreational use in 2016, but since then, there has been a proliferation of sellers who circumvent the regulations, fees and taxes associated with the tightly regulated legal trade.