cannabisnews.com: Police Continue To Fight War Against Marijuana





Police Continue To Fight War Against Marijuana
Posted by FoM on October 13, 2000 at 06:01:55 PT
By Alice Hohl, Staff Writer
Source: Daily Southtown
Despite having arrested only one person, Forest Preserve police officials said they hope publicizing this summer's seizures of marijuana plants will deter other drug traffickers from planting crops.Cook County Forest Preserve police said they teamed with agents from the Drug Enforcement Administration and state police investigators to find and destroy crops of marijuana, mostly in southern Cook County, using high-tech equipment.
After cutting down 56,000 marijuana plants in forest preserves across the county and using night vision scopes and global positioning devices to aid their investigation, the combined forces arrested one person and charged the suspect with unlawful production of cannabis and manufacture of cannabis with intent to deliver.Police said they could not release any information about the suspect — except that he is a resident of Cook County — because publicity could jeopardize their chances of having the suspect help them locate other drug traffickers.An investigator with the Forest Preserve police said many of the traffickers tend their crops at night, watering, fertilizing and weeding patches they have hewn out of the woods for themselves."A good deal of activity is taking place at night," said officer Bill Dineen.He said that while there are officers on duty at night, it is hard to catch the "bad guys" because most of the forest preserves are large and densely wooded, and there are fewer officers patrolling after dark."The focus of the department is public safety, and when the public is not out, we have fewer officers working," Dineen said.Dineen said some officers have taken a DEA course that teaches them how to find plants and see through the disguises the marijuana farmers use to hide their crops.He said officers have a hard time catching the offenders even though some growers have gone so far as to cut down trees to make room for their crops.Dineen said the global positioning devices made it easier for law enforcement officers unfamiliar with the woods to avoid getting lost, and for investigators to keep track of marijuana fields previously discovered.The night vision scopes helped investigators monitor the woods at night without using flashlights.DEA officials defended the lack of arrests during the investigation, saying their goal is prevention, not prosecution."We're hoping to prevent this," said William Segarra, associate special agent in charge for the DEA."This is a continuing effort and we're hoping this will be a deterrent," Segarra said.He said he is looking for cooperation from county residents who might spot marijuana fields while they are hiking in the forest preserves.Spokesman Steve Mayberry said that, of the 10 "growing areas" in the county — which included 18 plots of marijuana — the majority were in the southern part of the county. Mayberry said he could not name the forest preserves or be any more specific about number or location for fear of jeopardizing ongoing investigations.Officials said they were also concerned that the marijuana crops were being grown at the expense of native plants, which are supposed to be protected in the forest preserves.Forest Preserve District and Cook County Board President John Stroger said the value of the marijuana patches that were destroyed totals $50 million."We're not talking about small-time marijuana fanciers looking for a quick high," he said.Last year, Cook County sheriff's police burned two acres of marijuana being cultivated along Interstate 57 near Matteson. That marijuana was estimated to be worth $5 million and was the largest seizure of marijuana by any police agency in Cook County history.The $50 million seized this summer was cut down during several investigations, spread over a few months, police said.After last year's burn, sheriff's police said they expected to arrest one of several culprits they captured on tape, but a spokeswoman said Thursday that no one was ever arrested.Note: Officials hope summer efforts deter others. Source: Daily Southtown (IL)Author: Alice Hohl, Staff WriterPublished: Friday, October 13, 2000Copyright: 2000 Daily SouthtownContact: dstedit interaccess.comAddress: 6901 W. 159th St., Tinley Park, IL 60477Fax: (708) 633-5999Website: http://www.dailysouthtown.com/CannabisNews Articles - Marijuana Eradication:http://cannabisnews.com/thcgi/search.pl?K=Marijuana+Eradication
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Comment #3 posted by FoM on October 13, 2000 at 15:38:36 PT:
Interesting News Brief
Man Claims To Have Handed Pot Plant to Queen Elizabeth II Source: S.F.GatePublished: Friday, October 13, 2000 URL: http://www.sfgate.com/©2000 Associated Press Manchester, England (AP)Police said Friday that they plan to question a man who claims to have given Queen Elizabeth II a bouquet containing a marijuana plant. Colin Davies of the Medical Marijuana Cooperative, which is pushing for legalization of the substance, said he handed the bouquet to the queen during her whistlestop visit Thursday to this north England city. She was pictured receiving a bouquet from Davies outside an arts center. ``There were more important issues for our staff to be concerned with on what was a highly successful day,'' said Detective Chief Inspector David Booth, head of Greater Manchester Police Special Branch. ``However, arrangements will now be made to speak to Mr. Davies about his claims.'' Buckingham Palace said Friday that the queen did not bring the bouquet back to London. Bouquets handed to the queen during royal engagements are routinely distributed to hospitals or old people's homes. Davies, 43, said he grew the marijuana plant himself. ``It was a harmless way of trying to bring to the notice of Her Majesty the ludicrous restrictions on cannabis,'' he said. ``We set up the cooperative to supply sick people who benefit from the therapeutic value of cannabis.'' ©2000 Associated Press  
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Comment #2 posted by ras james on October 13, 2000 at 14:43:08 PT
native plants
the cook county forest preserves are one of the last stands for original illinois native landscape. over 99.9% of the prairie state has been converted to farms, parking lots, homes, cities; and now what little of our beautiful tall grass prairies and savannas that has survived is being converted to marijuana farms...and why?...because of this rediculous "war on marijuana"...we, in illinois, are now losing even more of the little fragments of prairie illinois we have left...shame on all those who drink alcohol, smoke tobacco products, and/or take financial support from the alcohol-tobacco lobbies and pass laws that prohibit marijuana.what will be said of these public servants in the future? they used; and/or they profited from two drugs (alchohol and tobacco) that killed millions of their citizens...while they pretended to care by passing laws against marijuana which is slightly safer than a cup of coffee.give all praise and thanks to JAH RASTAFAR-I; "the grace of the lord jesus be with the all." redemption can only be found on the bottom line...stand with the I-man...it is much later than you're thinking.
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Comment #1 posted by Ethan Russo, MD on October 13, 2000 at 07:53:32 PT:
"Marijuana" or Ditchweed?
Being that this is Illinois, I wonder how many of those thousands of plants were actually hemp, the descendants of the crop grown by those patriotic farmers that grew it at the belated request of the government in WW II. 
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