cannabisnews.com: 1,700 Foothill Marijuana Plants Seized 





1,700 Foothill Marijuana Plants Seized 
Posted by FoM on July 19, 2000 at 16:45:15 PT
By Louis Galvan 
Source: The Fresno Bee
 Nearly 1,700 marijuana plants, with a potential street value of $8.5 million, were cut down Tuesday by Fresno County narcotics officers and U.S. Forest Service personnel after the crop was found growing on a mountain side north of Auberry. Bob Hernandez, a special agent with the Forest Service stationed in Clovis, said an investigation, including off-and-on surveillance of the high, rugged terrain, was started about a month ago when personnel from his office first caught sight of the plants from the air. 
Working with the Fresno County Sheriff's Department's narcotics team, Hernandez said, a decision was made to raid the site Tuesday morning after two men were seen working the marijuana "garden" but that the two ran into the wilderness after they saw the officers arrive. "They were about 15 feet away when they took off," he said. Hernandez said officers chased the men but lost them in the thick brush. "They're probably still hiding out in the area," Hernandez said about six hours after officers last saw the men. The marijuana crop becomes the first one found and destroyed this season in Fresno County, sheriff's Lt. Robert Hag-ler said. But, he said, it won't be the last. Hagler said investigators already are looking at about five other gardens in the mountain areas east of Fresno and that more raids in those areas are pending. Sheriff's narcotics Sgt. Rick Pursell said more than 60,000 marijuana plants were seized in the county last year, including about 30,000 in the foothills near Coalinga. Tuesday's crop, 1,691 plants, was found growing over an area of about five to six acres, hidden under natural growth. A drip-irrigation system, with water from a nearby stream, was used to keep the plants alive. Pursell said most of the plants -- estimated at only several months old -- were 3 to 4 feet high, but would've grown to about 12 feet by September or October, when they would've reached the age to be harvested. Hagler said the plants, when harvested, would have been worth about $5,000 apiece. The garden was found about 12 miles north of Auberry near the 4,000-foot elevation off Jose Basin Road, with the only access to the site a narrow, winding loggers' road that comes to a dead end about three miles from where it starts. The nearest home is about four miles away. Ten members of the sheriff's narcotics team, which includes three county probation officers, and seven Forest Service personnel were used Tuesday to hack down the crop. The plants were loaded onto nets lowered by a helicopter and hauled to Fresno by truck, where they will be destroyed today. Several plants will be kept for evidence, however. Hagler said the investigation will continue to determine who was operating the garden. Auberry, Calif.Published July 19, 2000Copyright ©2000, The Fresno Bee Related Articles:Officers Seize 4,400 Marijuana Plantshttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread5839.shtmlOfficials Seize $10 Million in Marijuana at Gorge http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread3338.shtmlUS Marijuana Busts Remained High In 1998 - Grouphttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread3318.shtmlSheriff's Officials Recover 11,000 Plantshttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread3006.shtmlUtah Agents Find 10,000 Pot Plants in Mountains http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread2997.shtml 
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Comment #2 posted by Boss Master on July 21, 2000 at 14:53:57 PT
Better Stop Bothering the People
 They need to leave the people alone. Let nature play it's cout's stop trying to get involved with how we chooses to relax . . .We mean it!!!!! 
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Comment #1 posted by dddd on July 19, 2000 at 21:11:39 PT
eight and a half mill?
 Noticed the absurdly inflated worth bestowed on the crop.One wonders who the guy is who tosses out these figures.Perhaps they consulted a government certified pot estimator,who was a former weed broker. I am really tired of the phony figures,that are stated as if they were facts...And I really get pissed when they accuse anti drug war,and pro legalization people,of misinformation. I bet these would have been really nice buds,,and that also makes me mad.,,but on a more positive note;It's looking like the proponents of the drug war,are seeming to be getting a bit more desperate,and uncomfortable lately.Their guilt is starting to haunt them,their rhetoric is becoming more akward and radical......dddd 
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