cannabisnews.com: Record Drug Bust Near San Mateo County Reservoir Record Drug Bust Near San Mateo County Reservoir Posted by FoM on September 23, 2000 at 06:38:26 PT By Matthew B. Stannard, Chronicle Staff Writer Source: San Francisco Chronicle San Mateo County and California Department of Justice officials announced yesterday that they had found more than 12,000 marijuana plants growing near the Crystal Springs Reservoir -- a record bust for the county. A dozen agents from the San Mateo County Narcotics Task Force and the Campaign Against Marijuana Planting helped in the four-day operation, which ended Thursday, said Task Force Cmdr. Donald M. O'Keefe. No suspects have been located in the case, and the investigation is continuing, O'Keefe said. The CAMP agents were in San Mateo County as part of their annual campaign, which began seven weeks ago and will continue through October, said CAMP Operations Commander Sonya Barna. The season already has been a record one, Barna said, with more than 313,000 plants seized statewide already -- more than the record 241,000 grabbed all of last year. On Sept. 5, CAMP agents seized 58,000 plants in Kern County, she said -- the campaign's largest single bust ever. Most of the 6- to 8-foot-tall plants were found about two miles south of Highway 92, O'Keefe said, and about 150 were discovered in Huddart County Park. At an estimated wholesale value of $4,000 per plant, that comes to $49 million worth of marijuana, he said. Task force agents had known from previous tips and flights that a marijuana farm was at the site, O'Keefe said. But until they were dropped in by CAMP helicopters, they didn't realize just how big a haul they had. ``I've gone back 10 years, and the most I think we've ever done in a season is 2,000,'' he said. ``It was probably 10 times the size (we were expecting) . . . It was overwhelming.'' The farm was a sophisticated one, using an underground irrigation system to draw water from Crystal Springs to plants tucked among hills and scrub, O'Keefe said. Agents found evidence, including two deer carcasses and an empty rifle case, that armed growers had been living at the site for some time, he said, Similar gardens increasingly are being found in more urban counties such as San Mateo County, she said, as growers' traditional grounds in the state's northernmost counties come under increased pressure from law enforcement. ``It's not that unusual,'' she said. ``Last year we had one that was 8,000 (plants) and some change right off 101 in Santa Clara County.'' The growers have changed, too, as traditional hippie farmers are pushed out by pseudo-corporate criminal organizations from Mexico who import labor and armed guards. The change has included increased violence, she said, with gardens that feature watchtowers and dummies made to look like armed farmers. This year, an armed grower was shot by a deputy working with CAMP, Barna said -- the first fatality associated with the campaign. Barna said she believes the operations are effective, pointing as evidence to the sheer number of plants pulled off the streets. ``As long as we're out there, we're going to keep on hitting them hard,'' she said. ``It's very, very expensive to set these gardens up, and they're taking a big hit financially.'' San Mateo County's O'Keefe said he sees the success from a more local perspective. ``Nobody got hurt. It was a good seizure,'' he said. ``We've got 12,000 less plants that will be available for the street.'' E-mail Matthew B. Stannard at mstannard sfchronicle.comSource: San Francisco Chronicle (CA)Contact: chronletters sfgate.com Author: Matthew B. Stannard, Chronicle Staff WriterPublished: Saturday, September 23, 2000 ©2000 San Francisco Chronicle Website: http://www.sfgate.com/chronicle/Forum: http://www.sfgate.com/conferences/Related Articles:Madera Cultivates Millions in Pot Haul http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread7116.shtmlPot Warriorhttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread7047.shtml1,700 Foothill Marijuana Plants Seized http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread6452.shtml END SNIP --> Snipped Home Comment Email Register Recent Comments Help Comment #4 posted by kaptinemo on September 23, 2000 at 15:09:08 PT: Biggest Seizure Ever!... for the 92nd time! They just don't seem able to do basic arithmetic. And Heaven forbid that they ever have to get into statistical analysis of how 'efficacious' their efforts truly are.The numbers of seized plants keep going up...and up...and up. The price stays almost the same. And more weed coming in. You'd think they'd tumble to the fact that they are like the Little Dutch Boy who's run out of fingers and toes to plug the dike with, and the water is gushing out in a torrent just a few feet from where they are. He's half-drowned, but the idiot still stands there when all the sane people have long since left.That's what you get when you hire from the shallow end of the gene pool. [ Post Comment ] Comment #3 posted by sayyo on September 23, 2000 at 10:17:15 PT carry me back "Most of the 6- to 8-foot-tall plants..." 12 foot high in Virginny http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=875181&BRD=1283 14 foot high thar too http://www.theenterprise.net/story2.html [ Post Comment ] Comment #2 posted by EdC on September 23, 2000 at 09:19:10 PT Record Drug Bust Vote Barna and the other clowns out of a job. Instead of simply not voting to express your disgust, vote against everyone in both major parties. Write in a candidate, if necessary, but vote for someone who supports the Constitution. Stand up for the bill of rights. [ Post Comment ] Comment #1 posted by legalizeit on September 23, 2000 at 08:16:59 PT Saving the world from a plant >Barna said she believes the operations are effective, pointing as evidence to the sheer number of plants pulled off the streets.Pot plants are not off the streets. They will come from somewhere else. >``Nobody got hurt. It was a good seizure,'' he said. That after the first fatality as a result of their dim-witted "campaign.">``We've got 12,000 less plants that will be available for the street.'' The net effect will be nothing. Pot will still be just as available as before. The only possible effects would be raising the street price, which could cause or increase crime - or, lower quality pot, which would only mean users would have to toke more for the same effect.Good job, people! Contribute to crime by stealing plants!This Barna chick (as well as those other thugs) needs to have someone take away her livelihood and see how she takes it. [ Post Comment ] Post Comment Name: Optional Password: E-Mail: Subject: Comment: [Please refrain from using profanity in your message] Link URL: Link Title: