cannabisnews.com: Pot Warrior Pot Warrior Posted by FoM on September 15, 2000 at 18:46:55 PT By John Johnson, Los Angeles Times Source: Pioneer Planet Sonya Barna heads California's marijuana eradication task force. Her squadron of helicopters dives into remote corners of the state, from the steep gorges of the Santa Ynez Mountains to the foothills of the Sierra Nevada, carrying crews of eradicators with machetes.The pot farmer's worst nightmare is the diminutive, 37-year-old daughter of a migrant farm worker whose troops call her Supreme Commander. Sonya Barna hardly looks the part of the Patton of Pot. She is short, wears her fingernails and her brown hair long and cuts a striking enough figure in her fatigues that a visiting Ukrainian general recently asked if all American women were so beautiful.But as head of California's marijuana eradication task force, called CAMP for Campaign Against Marijuana Planting, she is on pace to break all records for the number of pot plants chopped out of California's renegade marijuana farms. This summer, her squadron of helicopters has dived into remote corners of the state, from the steep gorges of the Santa Ynez Mountains to the foothills of the Sierra Nevada, carrying crews of eradicators with machetes.Barna's commitment to the war on pot is matched only by the increasing sophistication of the growers who have been converting California's wild lands into corporate-style pot farms. In recent years, California's marijuana industry has undergone a radical change from the time when North Coast hippies tended their backyard gardens in Frye boots and drove their VW vans down to San Francisco to unload their stash. Today, the pot gardens have moved south and tend to be larger than ever.Last year, a farm in San Benito County yielded 53,000 plants. At $4,000 a plant, the formula the state uses to measure the stuff, that was worth $212 million.Another major change is that many of the biggest farms are being operated by Mexican drug gangs who set up camp deep in remote corners of national forest land. These huge operations, complete with 12-foot-tall watchtowers, are tended by farm workers paid around $500 a month to guard the plants. The increasingly high stakes involved were demonstrated with deadly results on Aug. 24, when a Mexican citizen was shot and killed while defending a pot farm in Madera County. Jesus Erasmo Figueroa-Valencia was shot when he allegedly pulled a .45-caliber handgun on sheriff's deputies raiding a 7,000-plant farm, deputies said.Some people debate the usefulness of the drug war. Barna is not one of those.``I don't think we should ever give up,'' she said on a recent Sunday. Outside, her crew was making ready for the next morning's assault in the Santa Ynez range. ``The more you hit the supply, the harder it is to get.''They call themselves the `` 'Shroom Platoon.''Partly, it's because the men and women of CAMP have nicknames for everything. One man is called ``Red Line'' because he is so heavy, according to the joke, that the helicopter engine redlines when it tries to carry him. ``Broker'' is always out of money. Barna is ``Supreme Commander,'' for obvious reasons.As for the 'Shroom Platoon, that's a sardonic reference to the way mushrooms are grown: kept in the dark and fed manure until the light goes on. Then they come alive.Barna is a mother of three whose gift of chat conceals a fierce drive, which she comes by naturally. Her mother worked her way out of the agricultural fields to teach social welfare at Fresno State University, in the meantime communicating to her daughter an intense work ethic. After a stint with the San Jose Police Department, she joined the state's Bureau of Narcotics Enforcement, which runs the CAMP program. Since 1983, CAMP has teamed up with a variety of federal and state agencies, including the U.S. Forest Service, the Bureau of Land Management, and sheriff's departments from 56 counties, to eradicate pot gardens in rural areas.Originally, there were six teams operating on a budget of $2.5 million. But over time, the budget was cut to its current level of $600,000. That supports three teams of 13 people.Last year, Barna commanded the third mobile team, and her success led directly to her appointment as commander of the entire CAMP effort, Michael Van Winkle, press officer for the Justice Department, said.``She's very gung-ho,'' said Van Winkle. ``That's the kind of person you need as CAMP commander.''With this year's season only half over, Barna's teams already had plucked 139,000 plants.All this raises some questions: Just how much pot is out there? And how much of it is even a pot warrior like Barna taking off the market? Was the shooting in Madera County evidence that the growers are feeling the pinch and deciding to stand and fight rather than cut and run when the state helicopters fly in? Or are the efforts of CAMP barely scratching the surface?On the one hand, it's a big state. When you fly over, you see vast landscapes of greenery. Picking a marijuana garden out of this patchwork would seem impossible. But the M-spotters, as marijuana spotters are known, have at least one thing on their side: Pot needs direct sunlight for a few hours a day. That means the pot garden, no matter how remote, is visible from the air.CAMP's efforts have drawn the attention of outsiders. Ukraine, facing its own marijuana problem, sent a team to consult Barna. CAMP also sends pot samples to the University of Mississippi, where they are analyzed for THC content. Some samples in recent years have come back at 27 percent, compared with 2 percent in the 1960s and '70s, a fact that only reinforces Barna's attitude about the drug.``Pot is not a gateway drug,'' she scoffed. ``It is a drug.''Published: September 15, 2000Source: Saint Paul Pioneer Press (MN)Copyright: 2000 St. Paul Pioneer PressContact: letters pioneerpress.comAddress: 345 Cedar St., St. Paul, MN 55101Website: http://www.pioneerplanet.com/Forum: http://www.pioneerplanet.com/watercooler/Related Articles: San Bernardino Pot Bust Linked To County http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread7036.shtmlRaid Yields Plantshttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread7015.shtmlWeeding Out Pot Farms From Aloft http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread6950.shtml Home Comment Email Register Recent Comments Help Comment #14 posted by FoM on September 17, 2000 at 21:16:18 PT Related Article US CA: War On Marijuana Has Unlikely LeaderNewshawk: Sledhead - VOTE Patrick L. Lilly, Colo. Senate, Dist. 12Pubdate: Sun, 17 Sep 2000Source: Contra Costa Times (CA)Copyright: 2000 Contra Costa Newspapers Inc.Address: 2640 Shadelands Drive, Walnut Creek, CA 94598Feedback: http://www.contracostatimes.com/contact_us/letters.htmWebsite: http://www.contracostatimes.com/Author: Barnaby John JohnsonThe 37-year-old daughter of a former migrant worker directs the battle against California's sophisticated, increasingly violent growers SANTA BARBARA -- The pot farmer's worst nightmare is the diminutive, 37-year-old daughter of a migrant farm worker whose troops call her Supreme Commander. Sonya Barna hardly looks the part of the Patton of Pot. She is short, wears her fingernails and her brown hair long and cuts a striking enough figure in her fatigues that a visiting Ukrainian general recently asked if all American women were so beautiful. But as head of California's marijuana eradication task force, called CAMP for Campaign Against Marijuana Planting, she is on pace to break all records for the number of pot plants chopped out of California's renegade marijuana farms. This summer, her squadron of helicopters has dived into remote corners of the state, from the steep gorges of the Santa Ynez Mountains to the foothills of the Sierra Nevada, carrying crews of eradicators with machetes. Click the link to read the complete article.http://mapinc.org/drugnews/v00/n1387/a06.html [ Post Comment ] Comment #13 posted by CongressmanSuet on September 17, 2000 at 09:37:10 PT: Am I the only one who .. finds irony in putting the word "marijuana" and the word "problem" in the same sentance? So the Ukranians have a big "marijuana problem". What, too many people happy even though living under totally repressed, impovershed conditions? Or, is this just some kind of PR stunt that will help warm relations with us abit? "Amerika, you are the best in Cannabis eradication, please show us how to be like you". Well, things could always be worse, Sondra coud have been the childhood sweetheart you pay alimony to every month! Ot that sister you try to keep your kids away from, when you can... or worse, the newly promoted head of the federal cellblock you just got 5 years in for having a 1/4 pound and a few baggies in your possesion... [ Post Comment ] Comment #12 posted by Frank on September 17, 2000 at 09:22:13 PT Sick Puppies Spending Your Tax Money This is a very weird story. The woman who is in charge of this group sounds like a real sick puppy. She sounds like a kill freak. Imagine our tax dollars being spent on things like this. I suspect that the members of this group can’t wait to drop the hammer on a marijuana smoker. These are some real sick people. [ Post Comment ] Comment #11 posted by kaptinemo on September 17, 2000 at 07:14:32 PT: Birds of a feather. CAMP's efforts have drawn the attention of outsiders. Ukraine, facing its own marijuana problem, sent a team to consult Barna. Am I the only one who sees the irony of this? The Ukrainian government since it had broken away from the Soviet Union, has not exactly covered itself with glory in the civil rights/freedom department. The man running it today had strong ties to the Communist Party, and his detractors say that the only thing that has changed from the the bad old days is that the police now speak Ukrainian instead of Russian when they beat you up.So, the minions of a police state are coming *here* to take 'how to' lessons? To learn the art of committing 'despotism within democracy' from our dear Officer Barna?Need I say it? It's pretty damn bad when goons with over 80 years of experience at it come to *this* country to learn how to be *better* goons. We already have the 'School of the Americas', now we will have CAMP (multiple meanings here) Barna?I hope the folks out in California get this bunch taken down and soon. [ Post Comment ] Comment #10 posted by FoM on September 16, 2000 at 17:39:19 PT: Two Related Articles Here are 2 articles that I put on my ezboard with a link back to this article. Just trying to find a way to expand the news a little more.Peace, FoM!Police Raid Marijuana Garden http://pub3.ezboard.com/fdrugpolicytalkdrugpolicyreform.showMessage?topicID=498.topicHarvest Season Keeps Cops Busy http://pub3.ezboard.com/fdrugpolicytalkdrugpolicyreform.showMessage?topicID=497.topic [ Post Comment ] Comment #9 posted by Dan Hillman on September 16, 2000 at 13:15:02 PT m-spotters >On the one hand, it's a big state. When you fly over, you see vast landscapes of greenery. Picking a marijuana garden out of this patchwork wouldseem impossible. But the M-spotters, as marijuana spotters are known, have at least one thing on their side: Pot needs direct sunlight for a fewhours a day. That means the pot garden, no matter how remote, is visible from the air.But wait! A few years ago, "m-spotters" were claiming that pot had a "unique" shade of green that could be spotted with infrared scanners...guess that story got too many laughs...but not before a few behemoth "special equipment" grants, probably. [ Post Comment ] Comment #8 posted by Frank S. World on September 16, 2000 at 10:37:26 PT Thanks to the Pioneer Press I wrote a strong LTE to the LA Times where this article originated. They did not use it. But, the PP's picking up the article allowed me to recycle the LTE, and with a few minor changes, send it to them. Maybe they will publish it and interject a little truth and reality. [ Post Comment ] Comment #7 posted by FoM on September 16, 2000 at 08:47:32 PT: Related Article 1,400 Pot Plants Seized in Forest Author: Katie Cooper, Special to The TimesPublished: Saturday, September 16, 2000 Source: Los Angeles Times (CA)Copyright: 2000 Los Angeles TimesContact: letters latimes.comAddress: Times Mirror SquareLos Angeles, CA 90053Fax: (213) 237-4712Website: http://www.latimes.com/ Crime: No arrests are made in second such confiscation this month in Los Padres parkland. Value of marijuana is placed at more than $2 million. In the second such seizure this month, authorities have confiscated 1,400 marijuana plants from a makeshift pot farm on national parkland. The cultivation site, in a remote canyon west of California 33 in Los Padres National Forest, was deserted when authorities raided the farm Thursday morning. No arrests have been made. Narcotics investigators with the Ventura County Sheriff's Department found food, clothing and a large amount of trash at the site, which indicated the growers had occupied the area for some time, authorities said. The plants, ranging from 1 to 7 feet in height, have an estimated street value of more than $2 million, authorities said. They were uprooted with the assistance of the county's Fire Department. Drug dealers and growers, many of them with ties to the Mexican Mafia, have long used the forest. Cultivators plant in April and start harvesting in September, authorities said. "A lot of plants are growing up there right now," said Eric Nishimoto, a spokesman for the Sheriff's Department. "This is the season for it." Nishimoto said he was not surprised growers had left the site before investigators arrived. "They are pretty hip to our presence when we patrol in our helicopters in such a remote area," he said. "We can't really sneak up on them. They are on notice when we're coming." Thursday's seizure follows another raid on forest land earlier this month, when authorities found more than 4,000 plants in Matilija Canyon, the largest plantation find in the county in more than four years. No arrests have been made in connection with that case. At the site of Thursday's raid, in the Portrero Seco area of the forest, investigators also found the growers had dammed a natural-flowing creek for irrigation and removed natural vegetation to grow the marijuana. Irrigation pipes and spent ammunition casings were also found, authorities said. [ Post Comment ] Comment #6 posted by i_rule_ on September 16, 2000 at 01:54:29 PT Hey, she said it, not us! WTG AOCP. >As for the 'Shroom Platoon, that's a sardonic reference to the way mushrooms are grown; kept in the dark and fed manure until the light goes on. Then they come alive.So they're saying they eat feces? Just what the hell are they trying to say here?HEHEHEHEHEHEHE!!!!!!!!!! LOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOL!!!!!!!!!! Very good AOCP. I always thought they were full of S___t!!!!! [ Post Comment ] Comment #5 posted by Dr. Ganj on September 15, 2000 at 23:13:42 PT Outside, Once A Year, Inside-Continuous! What these brainless bushwhackers fail to realize is that REAL growers left the mosquitoes, deer, rats, and thieves many years ago in favor of HID lighting with Hortilux bulbs, clones of NL5 x Hashplant, CO2 infusion, and listening to their favorite tunes by Jimi Hendrix, while harvesting *continuously* pounds of the best buds known to mankind! Ha! I wonder what that pathetic C.A.M.P "commander" thinks of that? Also, I wish "Ms. Shroomy" would consider that one good underground growroom with a diesel generator can produce a lot more, and better buds, than a bunch of beaners hiding in the bushes growing their scurvy, inferior bunkweed that C.A.M.P so blatantly overestimates to justify their own existence.After all these failed years of marijuana eradication efforts, I still can't believe there are people like this weed wench in the world.No matter, we won with high pressure sodium growlights!See you all at the Cannabis Cup, fellow growers!Dr. Ganj [ Post Comment ] Comment #4 posted by MikeEEEEE on September 15, 2000 at 22:26:35 PT HA HA Like any good little soldier there are rewards, mostly an ego trip for this woman. When they open their eyes they'll see it's only fools fighting with the dark. [ Post Comment ] Comment #3 posted by FoM on September 15, 2000 at 20:43:12 PT My question I just wondered one thing. How does she sleep at night? [ Post Comment ] Comment #2 posted by CongressmanSuet on September 15, 2000 at 20:40:50 PT: Its really quite sad... this is this Sonya Barnyard or whatevers claim to fame. Its not just what she does, its what she is. She really believes the b.s she spews...very sad. Being called the "Supreme Commander Poobah" is a great acomplishment for her, she has pictures of all kinds of raids and busts in an album or on a wall somewhere. Im sure there might be a meritorious conduct certificate somewhere at the homestead. Very sad... [ Post Comment ] Comment #1 posted by AOCP on September 15, 2000 at 20:31:51 PT: Ignorant salope >Some people debate the usefulness of the drug war. Barna is not one of those.Since her very job security rests on the continuation of the folly that is our drug war, i'm hardly surprised. She's nothing more than a money-leech that likes to dress up in fatigues. I'm not impressed.>``I don't think we should ever give up,'' she said on a recent Sunday. Outside, her crew was making ready for the next morning's assault in the Santa Ynez range. ``The more you hit the supply, the harder it is to get.''Brainless parrot. She obviously lives in her own microcosmic reality where once a pot grower is removed, NOBODY comes in to replace them, let alone new folks getting in on the act all the time. YOU prohibitionist thugs put the candy-in-the-basket (aka - gross financial incentives for those willing to take the risk) out for the children to sample, try sizing up some responsibility for once. Again, i am not impressed. Just another thug.>They call themselves the `` 'Shroom Platoon.''Yea, cute and funny nicknames draw attention away from the thugness of these goons and attempts to give them some fuzzy, soft image. What rot.>As for the 'Shroom Platoon, that's a sardonic reference to the way mushrooms are grown: kept in the dark and fed manure until the light goes on. Then they come alive.So they're saying they eat feces? Just what the hell are they trying to say here? [ Post Comment ] Post Comment Name: Optional Password: E-Mail: Subject: Comment: [Please refrain from using profanity in your message] Link URL: Link Title: