cannabisnews.com: Madera Cultivates Millions in Pot Haul Madera Cultivates Millions in Pot Haul Posted by FoM on September 21, 2000 at 15:01:53 PT By Charles McCarthy, The Fresno Bee Source: Fresno Bee 8,000-plus plants worth $35 million are ripped out near Oakhurst. Madera County law enforcement authorities seized $35 million worth of marijuana plants this week, continuing a summerlong push against pot farms in the county's mountainous areas. Sheriff John P. Anderson said Wednesday that deputies and the county's Narcotics Enforcement Team raided marijuana gardens Monday in the Oakhurst area. The plants were seized just off Sky Ranch Road and in the Texas Flat area near Fresno Dome. More than 8,000 plants up to 10 feet tall were ripped out and destroyed, sheriff's spokeswoman Rita Valdivia said. Tuesday, the team reported finding and destroying 6,500 more of the illegal plants east of North Fork in the Pekinpah area. "There's some big gardens and some big plants," Anderson said. Using federal figures for estimating the street value of marijuana plants, an estimated $125 million worth of the illegal hemp has been seized and destroyed this summer in Madera County. The volume of those plants has convinced Anderson that the gardens in the Sierra are commercial operations. "You don't have 7,000 plants just for local consumption or personal consumption," he said. "These people are criminals." Most of the Madera County marijuana farms have been on public land, so the deputies and narcotics team didn't need search warrants, Anderson said. Of the seven people arrested as suspected pot farmers this summer, all but two were Mexican nationals, Anderson said. A man fatally shot in a raid above Ahwahnee when deputies said he aimed a gun at them has been identified as being from Mexico. "The guy that they arrested last week, he didn't even know where he was," Anderson said. "Someone took him up there and dumped him. He asked me what county we were in." A suspect identified as Augustine Maldonado Sanchez, 56, of Mexico, was arrested without incident at one of the marijuana gardens raided this week, Valdivia said. Anderson said the raids have followed a series of aerial sweeps of the mountain area. The sweeps located several suspicious gardens of what appeared to be cultivated marijuana plants. Source: Fresno Bee, The (CA)Author: Charles McCarthyPublished September 21, 2000Copyright: 2000 The Fresno BeeContact: letters fresnobee.comWebsite: http://www.fresnobee.com/Feedback: http://www.fresnobee.com/man/opinion/letters.htmlForum: http://www.fresnobee.com/man/projects/webforums/opinion.htmlRelated Articles: Operation Green Thunder http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread7079.shtmlPot Warriorhttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread7047.shtml 1,700 Foothill Marijuana Plants Seized http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread6452.shtml END SNIP --> Snipped Home Comment Email Register Recent Comments Help Comment #4 posted by max on September 22, 2000 at 18:42:12 PT: one fine day The funny thing is; one day growers will organize. I can not wait to here about the day these overzealous cops and drug agents raid a big field that was planted purely for sacrifice. That's right, booby trapped to the high heavens!!! bear traps, tiger pits, punji stakes, and maybe even a few land mines!! that will teach this ever growing opressive government of the Untited republic of amerika, bunch of cocksmokers [ Post Comment ] Comment #3 posted by EdC on September 22, 2000 at 01:52:58 PT: Tis the season Vote Libertarian, and end this foolishness once and for all. [ Post Comment ] Comment #2 posted by legalizeit on September 21, 2000 at 21:43:05 PT Criminals? PUH! >"You don't have 7,000 plants just for local consumption or personal consumption," he said. "These people are criminals."Only under your idiotic policy. What other than idiocy makes the growing of a crop a crime?>A man fatally shot in a raid above Ahwahnee when deputies said he aimed a gun at them has been identified as being from Mexico.What other than idiocy causes people defending their property (plants) to die, and the murderers to go home as if nothing happened? [ Post Comment ] Comment #1 posted by Phyro on September 21, 2000 at 17:29:24 PT Money & the law The police think that ops like Green Thunder will stop Grower's from growing !!! Well the facts prove other wise . Marijuana is one of the safest drugs in the world! People die from legal Drugs & the Goverment/police dont do a dam thing abought the problem. [ Post Comment ] Post Comment Name: Optional Password: E-Mail: Subject: Comment: [Please refrain from using profanity in your message] Link URL: Link Title: