Pot farm destroyed

[grasshopper]

http://www.policeone.com/investigations/articles/1721802-Calif-police-uncover-hidden-pot-farm/
  Oops, I thought it was oreagano

By Adam Foxman
The Ventura County Star

VENTURA, Calif. — To an untrained eye, the chaparral-covered hillsides under the circling helicopter looked like any others, but Ventura County sheriff's Cmdr. Gary Pentis saw a few spots of emerald green - telltale markers of marijuana farms.


Authorities had spotted the pot farms in Los Padres National Forest about eight miles from Rose Valley north of Ojai about three weeks ago. On Wednesday, they seized 7,514 marijuana plants with an estimated street value of more than $15 million, said Sgt. Mike Horne of the Ventura County Sheriff's Department's Narcotics Unit.

Pentis led the operation, which included more than 70 personnel from the Sheriff's Department, Ventura County Fire Department, U.S. Forest Service, California Department of Fish and Game, and Drug Enforcement Administration.

The haul Wednesday was on the high end of average. Sheriff's officials expected to find more plants, based on previous surveillance, but it appeared the growers had harvested some before the raid, Horne said.

The raid was the third large marijuana seizure in Ventura County in as many weeks. Authorities found and destroyed more than 14,000 pot plants on July 15 and an additional 7,249 plants on July 24.

The total seized so far is nearly as much as is normally found in the forest in an entire year, authorities said. "It's probably going to be a record year," Pentis said.

Because most marijuana farms are well-hidden, it's hard to know how much might be growing in Los Padres. Finding the farms - "gardens" in police parlance ­­- is often a matter of luck.

"Until we have a couple of years of a demonstrated increase, it might just be a blip on the radar," said John Bridgwater, district ranger for the Ojai region of the Los Padres National Forest.

Forest officials are concerned about the risk the marijuana farms pose to park users and the environment, Bridgwater said.

Sheriff's officials believe the pot cultivation problem is getting worse, partly because of an increase in the influence of Mexican drug cartels.

They also believe drug cartels are behind an increase in violence associated with pot farms this year. No shootings have been reported recently in connection with farms in Ventura County, but police in Northern California this month encountered armed men on a pot farm and shot and killed a suspect.

Authorities used a sheriff's SWAT team in Wednesday's raid. In addition to providing protection for law enforcement colleagues, the team set up a perimeter to try to snare growers flushed out by the raid.

The growers, usually low-level operatives brought in from Mexico, are notoriously hard to catch, because they know all the nooks and crannies of the rugged mountains near the farms, authorities said. Police chased one suspect during Wednesday's raid, but no one was arrested.

What they did find was typical: thousands of 4- to 5-foot-tall pot plants hidden under a chaparral covering, fed by irrigation lines connected to a natural water source nearby. Also typical were the piles of trash, snacks and boxes of homemade beer, swaths of underbrush cut to make room for marijuana, and evidence of pesticide use.

One U.S. Forest Service officer found a can of Mexican rat poison. The growers also left clothes, saws and several hammocks made of irrigation drip line.

Authorities found terraces in the steep, rocky hillside, which indicated the farm had been there for several years, said sheriff's Capt. Derek West.

After law enforcement officers checked for suspects, authorities spent hours chopping down the pot plants, piling them and hauling them out in nets suspended below helicopters. When they had finished, the hillside looked like a lawn hit by a weed whacker.

Then they burned the pot at a staging area in Rose Valley. The plants were stacked in a massive pile and set on fire with drip torches.

Law enforcement agencies have been battling marijuana farms in the Los Padres for many years. Sheriff's and Forest Service officials said continuing eradication efforts are important because of the influence of organized crime, environmental degradation and danger to park visitors.

Sheriff's officials doubt they can completely eliminate the pot cultivation. But if authorities weren't putting pressure on pot farmers, "they would be growing a lot more than what they are," said sheriff's Sgt. Pat MacAuley.

The pesticides, herbicides and fertilizers used by growers filter into local water sources and can affect the entire food chain in a wide area, authorities said.

The diversion of natural water for pot irrigation also can harm the environment, they said.

Growers are often armed, and while the pot farms dismantled Wednesday were in rugged terrain about a mile from the nearest road, others are close enough that park visitors could stumble upon them, authorities said.

Narcotics officers also emphasize the importance of taking the marijuana, which can be much stronger than the type grown 30 years ago, off the streets.

Pentis said he's spoken with many parents whose children have behavioral problems related to pot abuse. "The effects of marijuana addiction on our youth are a lot broader than a lot of people want to admit," he said.

Copyright 2008 The Ventura County Star

[Romak]

Damn grasshopper you must be pissed. Bet you wish you were there when they burned it all up. I can see you running around in the smoke doing a jig.

[David]

Sheriff's officials believe the pot cultivation problem is getting worse, partly because of an increase in the influence of Mexican drug cartels.

They also believe drug cartels are behind an increase in violence associated with pot farms this year. No shootings have been reported recently in connection with farms in Ventura County, but police in Northern California this month encountered armed men on a pot farm and shot and killed a suspect.

Keene cops, take note.  The legacy you are choosing to create is one of violence.  Black markets draw those already willing to break the law.  If you put out of business the more decent people, you leave the door wide open for the cartels.  And no one, other than the police can do that. 

You can choose to ignore victimless crimes. 

[Pat McCotter]

Sheriff's officials believe the pot cultivation problem is getting worse, partly because of an increase in the influence of Mexican drug cartels.

They also believe drug cartels are behind an increase in violence associated with pot farms this year. No shootings have been reported recently in connection with farms in Ventura County, but police in Northern California this month encountered armed men on a pot farm and shot and killed a suspect.

Keene cops, take note.  The legacy you are choosing to create is one of violence.  Black markets draw those already willing to break the law.  If you put out of business the more decent people, you leave the door wide open for the cartels.  And no one, other than the police can do that. 

You can choose to ignore victimless crimes. 

So what happens when the cartels come in and start putting the more decent people out of business?

[grasshopper]

  I tried that stuff when I was akid and a few years ago, drunk at a party.  I laughed for 45 min, annoying the rest of the potheads there and got so lethargick and stupid, I couldn't function for 3 days.
  You goys can have that stuff, if you can handle it, have at it.
  i know a bunch of people that live at home with their Moms and Dada, in their 40s.   They still smoke the stuff.  I wonder what is going to happen to them when their parents are gone?

[Romak]

You actually don't even need that stuff. You're pretty happy all on your own. I personally don't smoke it but it should be legal. I remember back in highschool I messed up by back playing baseball and thats the only thing that took the pain away completely. I'm sure it works for other things as well. Either way half the politicians and cops do it anyway its much less harmful than alcohol. Pot makes you a pacifist and alcohol makes you think you can beat up Mike Tyson. No comparison.

[Chemist]

It's a plant. I hope Maple trees are still legal because I have a couple in my front yard. 

[shadeau]

Sheriff's officials doubt they can completely eliminate the pot cultivation. But if authorities weren't putting pressure on pot farmers, "they would be growing a lot more than what they are," said sheriff's Sgt. Pat MacAuley.

Actually I think the Sheriff's logic is flawed.  The more plants they seize the more plants will be grown to keep up with demand.  Plus they will grow more to neutralize the loss of the raids.

Will they ever realise that they are fighting a war with their own flawed logic?  Making up uneducated claims of success to try to justify the ligitimacy of their career choices.

[Chemist]

Sheriff's officials doubt they can completely eliminate the pot cultivation. But if authorities weren't putting pressure on pot farmers, "they would be growing a lot more than what they are," said sheriff's Sgt. Pat MacAuley.

Actually I think the Sheriff's logic is flawed.  The more plants they seize the more plants will be grown to keep up with demand.  Plus they will grow more to neutralize the loss of the raids.

And, theoretically, the value just jumped for pot.  It seems that they realize they can't "completely eliminate the pot cultivation" yet they keep doing these raids.  Value goes up and the job of selling pot becomes more dangerous and the busts become more violent.  It seems like the cops wants more violence doesn't it? All over a plant. 

[error]

Of course the cops want more violence. They'd have nothing to do otherwise and would lose their exciting, well-paid jobs.

[Recumbent ReCycler]

If legislation were passed that removed the words "marijuana" and "hemp" from all laws, and replaced them with "poison ivy", then the government agents could go out and destroy a truly awful plant instead of a medicinal plant.

[KBCraig]

If legislation were passed that removed the words "marijuana" and "hemp" from all laws, and replaced them with "poison ivy", then the government agents could go out and destroy a truly awful plant instead of a medicinal plant.

Brilliant! +1!

And kudzu, too. Oh, wait, that one is the government's fault to begin with.

[Romak]

Can ya smoke poison ivy? If you can you better bet they are going to regulate it.

[feralfae]

If legislation were passed that removed the words "marijuana" and "hemp" from all laws, and replaced them with "poison ivy", then the government agents could go out and destroy a truly awful plant instead of a medicinal plant.

Brilliant! +1!

And kudzu, too. Oh, wait, that one is the government's fault to begin with.

They could still reverse themselves and destroy it.
But, seriously, if everyone who wanted it could grow a couple plants in with the tomatoes and corn and other plants, then there would be no big market for the stuff.  Even apartment dwellers could have a plant in their living room instead of the usual potted plant.  Why not? 
feralfae

[grasshopper]

  I agree with ya about that, that would be pretty good legislation, kind of like alcohol.
  I'll putt around writing up ome sample legislation to send into Congress just for shits and giggles.
It would read like:
  No person shall grow pot/hemp for any persons other than himself or for sale to an other person or persons.
  No person shall grow more than (however much a person smokes for themselves, 2 lbs?) per 6 month period or excede (so much pounds per year).
  No person, if found to be addicted by this substance, or claims to be dissabled because of this substance shall be qualified for dissability under the People With Dissabilities Act of (?????)

  Look, The last part would have to be in the pot law for me to support it or we'll all be supporting a bunch of collage kids who just want to smoke all day and do nothing.


  If you guys could help with pot statistice, for instance, how much a person can smoke and still function, it would be pretty cool if we could all get into this action.