standsideways
Member
Wow.
Maybe some bigger guys trying to keep themselves out of target?
Anyone ever suspected that in previous years?
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2011 Norcal Intel
- Thread starter nomaad
- Start date
Wow.
Maybe some bigger guys trying to keep themselves out of target?
Anyone ever suspected that in previous years?
standsideways
Member
Thats what i figured : /
Fresnobee.com is your friend
Feds uproot 1M pot plants in 7 western states
Feds uproot 1M pot plants in 7 western states
General update on western states overall pot bust #'s
======================================
SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- A federal crackdown on marijuana growing in seven western states has uprooted more than 1 million plants, about two-thirds of which were found on public land.
The U.S. attorney's office in Sacramento says the pot found on public lands was worth nearly $1.5 billion. The agency released total figures for the July and August raids in Arizona, California, Idaho, Nevada, Oregon, Utah and Washington on Wednesday.
More than three-quarters of the pot plants were found growing in California, about 840,000 in all.
Authorities found about 93,000 plants in Washington, with smaller amounts in the remaining states.
Read more here: http://www.fresnobee.com/2012/09/05...ts-in-7.html#storylink=misearch#storylink=cpy
Feds uproot 1M pot plants in 7 western states
General update on western states overall pot bust #'s
======================================
SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- A federal crackdown on marijuana growing in seven western states has uprooted more than 1 million plants, about two-thirds of which were found on public land.
The U.S. attorney's office in Sacramento says the pot found on public lands was worth nearly $1.5 billion. The agency released total figures for the July and August raids in Arizona, California, Idaho, Nevada, Oregon, Utah and Washington on Wednesday.
More than three-quarters of the pot plants were found growing in California, about 840,000 in all.
Authorities found about 93,000 plants in Washington, with smaller amounts in the remaining states.
Read more here: http://www.fresnobee.com/2012/09/05...ts-in-7.html#storylink=misearch#storylink=cpy
T
turtle farmer
I'm sooo happy my wife talked me out of an outdoor grow this year.
We have a neighbor about 1/4 mile away,700 blue dreams planted like corn,NO script.
Something went down in Ceres last night at 3 houses,10,000 plants in a nature reserve in Galt recently.and a grower killed near Ione protecting his grow last year.
We've had small black choppers,I think they are loches,and a shitload of hang gliders with engines.I hope everyone is safe and has a good harvest....peaceout
We have a neighbor about 1/4 mile away,700 blue dreams planted like corn,NO script.
Something went down in Ceres last night at 3 houses,10,000 plants in a nature reserve in Galt recently.and a grower killed near Ione protecting his grow last year.
We've had small black choppers,I think they are loches,and a shitload of hang gliders with engines.I hope everyone is safe and has a good harvest....peaceout
T
toughmudderdave
Yep. That's what prompted our BoS to impose an "emergency" ban on outdoor cultivation which of course prompted Seamaiden and I to jump into the political arena and speak out publicly against the ban.
good to hear most are still public lands....those guerilla growers take alot of the heat off the private property grows...
thats a good way to do...minus the no script part. the large smartpots and mound gardens are really easy to spot from the air...theres alot of agricultural fields in northern california so the ones that look like vineyards or regular crops are harder to spot IMO......i want to do some lines of 45 gal smarties in rows so they all blend together next year...
would love to see what that 700 plant BD garden looks like...wonder what hes pulling per plant?
Z
Z-ro
How the hell do you get busted on 21 plants?
growbig789
Member
Its really interesting the state of things and how they differ from county to county. Cultivation is obviously increasing tremendously almost everywhere in CA, but enforcement or lack of it is quite different in counties.
The scale of cultivation under 215 still seems to be expanding quite a bit doesn't it? Mendo has to be the #1 hot spot for sure and has been for a long time, its just crazy to see how many backyard 25 and 25+ there are... EVERYWHERE. (sections of google earth have been update pretty recently if you all haven't seen) Trinity, Humboldt obviously, but even in the valley... just everywhere. Its becoming pretty comonplace.
I met some cool folks this summer camping in Trinity cty that were locals and each grew 25 plants and said they vended to places in Redding. So it just seems like the scale is so large in the triangle that almost anything 99 and under you are pretty safe, esp if you have scripts to back it up. Probably 50 and under in the north valley if you have some acres and it seems like you're ok.. is that kinda how it is out there?
i know a couple people have posted about some experiences with them being affected by the fires, anybody else have any law enforcement or other issues from that? just was checking out the ol google earth the other day and I got to thinking about some of this stuff.. pretty interesting..
The scale of cultivation under 215 still seems to be expanding quite a bit doesn't it? Mendo has to be the #1 hot spot for sure and has been for a long time, its just crazy to see how many backyard 25 and 25+ there are... EVERYWHERE. (sections of google earth have been update pretty recently if you all haven't seen) Trinity, Humboldt obviously, but even in the valley... just everywhere. Its becoming pretty comonplace.
I met some cool folks this summer camping in Trinity cty that were locals and each grew 25 plants and said they vended to places in Redding. So it just seems like the scale is so large in the triangle that almost anything 99 and under you are pretty safe, esp if you have scripts to back it up. Probably 50 and under in the north valley if you have some acres and it seems like you're ok.. is that kinda how it is out there?
i know a couple people have posted about some experiences with them being affected by the fires, anybody else have any law enforcement or other issues from that? just was checking out the ol google earth the other day and I got to thinking about some of this stuff.. pretty interesting..
M
mr.shiva
Pretty much everyone on our road grows 25-50ish+
Mendo isn't the #1 by a longshot. Tulare county .... Central valley is out of control. I think the prices have been going up because cause they aren't so much nailing the cartel, it's been your larger mom & pop styles that actually grew good herb. I know some nice people that might be on the discovery channel, I feel horrible for them.
Enforcement styles really vary. Up in hum, pray you don't get the enviro nazis on your ass could be hella worse$ than weed. Arcata is the command center for the lefty enviro political pansy nohum commies, watch out for those mofos, they don't call it the redwood curtain for nothing. Trinity county politics ... Crickets chirping in the background (intermingled with machine gun fire in trinity pines), not a single incorporated town.
Mendo isn't the #1 by a longshot. Tulare county .... Central valley is out of control. I think the prices have been going up because cause they aren't so much nailing the cartel, it's been your larger mom & pop styles that actually grew good herb. I know some nice people that might be on the discovery channel, I feel horrible for them.
Enforcement styles really vary. Up in hum, pray you don't get the enviro nazis on your ass could be hella worse$ than weed. Arcata is the command center for the lefty enviro political pansy nohum commies, watch out for those mofos, they don't call it the redwood curtain for nothing. Trinity county politics ... Crickets chirping in the background (intermingled with machine gun fire in trinity pines), not a single incorporated town.
Im wearing my crack proof rainbow aviator raybans looking into the outside
burns1n209
Member
Crazy here in the valley they have had a bust off 100+ plants everyday for last 2 1/2 weeks up to 1600 along the river and 380 in a corn field, some time 2 and 3 busts of a 100+ in a day. Looks to me there just going after people that are being blatantly stupid about it. growing 70-100 in a neighbor hood back yard is asking to get popped. first sign 8ft plywood sheets going up around the fence's.
growbig789
Member
yah sounds like some very large grows in the san joaquin valley/foothills... but in the valley the more conservative politcal base definitely keeps the heat on a bit more..
i was meaning in Mendo.. with the 25 plant ordinance it just seems like no one is worried, and the sheer number of people with decent size grows makes enforcement of anything probably 50 or less very unlikely (unless you're a dick neighbor)
I hear you on the humboldt cty environmental stuff.. all the newspaper articles I read and its clear they are pissed about grows that do environmental damage or large indoor setups. trinity like you said seems more wild west.. i hear you on the trinity pines thing.. i took a little venture through there on the main thoroughfare back in july when i was camping and that place looks nuts. i didn't feel like straying too far off for obvious reasons, plus its none of my business but it was an interesting scene for sure..
i was meaning in Mendo.. with the 25 plant ordinance it just seems like no one is worried, and the sheer number of people with decent size grows makes enforcement of anything probably 50 or less very unlikely (unless you're a dick neighbor)
I hear you on the humboldt cty environmental stuff.. all the newspaper articles I read and its clear they are pissed about grows that do environmental damage or large indoor setups. trinity like you said seems more wild west.. i hear you on the trinity pines thing.. i took a little venture through there on the main thoroughfare back in july when i was camping and that place looks nuts. i didn't feel like straying too far off for obvious reasons, plus its none of my business but it was an interesting scene for sure..
26,000 pot plants found on tribal land in Humboldt County
26,000 pot plants found on tribal land in Humboldt County
From today's Santa Rose Press Democrat - Indians have been busy!
==========================================
HOOPA, Calif. — Authorities have destroyed more than 26,000 marijuana plants discovered during a major pot bust on Hoopa Valley Tribal Land in Northern California.
Humboldt County officials say a sophisticated marijuana growing operation was discovered in the Mill Creek Drainage area during reconnaissance flights two weeks ago.
The Eureka Times-Standard reports about 30 officers from multiple law enforcement agencies spent several hours eradicating 26,600 plants Tuesday in the region's biggest pot bust this year.
The grow operation was discovered after biologists surveying the area for spotted owls reported hearing several shots fired.
Hoopa Valley Tribal Chairman Leonard Masten says the tribe is increasingly concerned by large pot grows set up by drug trafficking groups. He's worried about the impact of fertilizers and pesticides on the watershed and local salmon.
26,000 pot plants found on tribal land in Humboldt County
From today's Santa Rose Press Democrat - Indians have been busy!
==========================================
HOOPA, Calif. — Authorities have destroyed more than 26,000 marijuana plants discovered during a major pot bust on Hoopa Valley Tribal Land in Northern California.
Humboldt County officials say a sophisticated marijuana growing operation was discovered in the Mill Creek Drainage area during reconnaissance flights two weeks ago.
The Eureka Times-Standard reports about 30 officers from multiple law enforcement agencies spent several hours eradicating 26,600 plants Tuesday in the region's biggest pot bust this year.
The grow operation was discovered after biologists surveying the area for spotted owls reported hearing several shots fired.
Hoopa Valley Tribal Chairman Leonard Masten says the tribe is increasingly concerned by large pot grows set up by drug trafficking groups. He's worried about the impact of fertilizers and pesticides on the watershed and local salmon.
Push for pot regulation; amid federal activity, many still support oversight, regulat
Push for pot regulation; amid federal activity, many still support oversight, regulat
If you read this article carefully you get an insight as to WHY bust's are up this year...very interesting reading.
=========================================
When he looks across Humboldt County, District Attorney Paul Gallegos can't say he's surprised with the proliferation of marijuana growing operations or with the environmental damage they bring.
”It's the same sort of thing you would get if you suddenly deregulated any other commercial endeavor,” Gallegos said. “If we had fishing without limits, there'd be no fish in the ocean. Imagine what the forests would look like if we had timber harvesting without oversight or regulation.
”With marijuana, we have an illegal industry running parallel with a putatively legal industry -- all totally unregulated,” Gallegos continued. “The natural result of this is you have complete adverse environmental impacts and adverse social impacts. That's what we're dealing with.”
The Humboldt County Sheriff's Office is teaming up with federal agencies to target some of the largest grow operations in the county, with Sheriff Mike Downey saying that cracking down on illicit grows is his top priority for the year. But the effort makes for some unlikely bedfellows, as some of those very same federal agencies have worked to block local and state efforts to regulate medical marijuana.
There seems to be widespread consensus among local officials that regulation of the medical marijuana cultivation industry would be a gigantic step toward reining in some of the abuses and toward making sure the drug is grown in a manner that is both environmentally friendly and safe for consumers.
But the federal government doesn't recognize state medical marijuana laws and -- with marijuana still classified alongside heroin as a Schedule 1 controlled substance -- maintains that it will vigorously enforce federal drug laws.
The U.S. Attorney's Office has even gone so far as to threaten municipalities -- including Arcata and Eureka -- saying it will consider prosecuting elected officials and government employees who “facilitate” violations of the federal Controlled Substances Act by passing or enforcing ordinances that sanction marijuana cultivation.
The chasm between the federal government's outlook on the issue and that of local officials was on full display at a recent League of California Cities Redwood Division meeting held in Humboldt County.
The division, which comprises North Coast counties and is directed by Arcata City Councilman Mark Wheetley, has made cracking down on illegal grow operations a priority for the year.
The meeting -- attended by local elected officials, state and federal law enforcement officers, environmental scientists and landowners -- was aimed at offering a forum for folks to pool information in order to help everyone apprised of the breadth of the problem. In what organizers believed was a coup, the meeting was also attended by Tommy Lanier, director of the White House-funded National Marijuana Initiative.
In a recent interview with the Times-Standard, Lanier said he focused his comments on the need for more education about large scale illegal cultivation. Lanier said he began his remarks by explaining why marijuana is not a medicine and urging officials to educate themselves and citizens about Sativex, a cannabinoid-based pharmaceutical alternative to marijuana.
Lanier said his other major goal was to make sure local officials knew they could not implement policies or ordinances that in any way facilitated, or were complacent regarding the medical marijuana industry.
”We hit that home pretty hard because what we don't want is a safe haven for people,” Lanier said.
North Coast Congressman Mike Thompson said he's disappointed that -- in the face of drug trafficking organizations conducting massive grow operations in state and national forests -- any federal agency would waste time and resources threatening local governments that are simply trying to reduce the harm associated with an unregulated industry legalized by California voters.
”It's crazy,” Thompson said, adding that he previously urged Attorney General Eric Holder to let states and local governments regulate medical marijuana as they see fit. “I raised that with Holder, and I need to circle back on that.”
Thompson said plainly that medical marijuana is legal in California, and there needs to be a regulatory process. He said there is just no oversight, leading to widespread abuses.
”I could not plant my vineyard the way these guys plant their pot,” he said. “I think there needs to be something done -- and I think counties and the state need to do it.”
While regulation is not likely to have an impact on a drug trafficking organization's grow operation on public lands, Gallegos said he thinks it will force many of the operations that purport to be in the gray areas of medical marijuana law into compliance, ensuring that they are operating within set limits and mitigating their environmental impacts.
”We always know we're going to have people who break the law,” Gallegos said. “Even with something like timber or fishing, there are people who engage in those activities illegally. But, if we can halve the harm by bringing part of the industry into compliance, we will have done a great thing.”
Downey -- who asked the feds to step in to help crack down on large scale grows throughout the county -- said he believes regulation would provide a big step toward reining in some of the abuse of state medical marijuana laws. The sheriff went so far as to advocate that the county adopt a regulation model similar to one enacted -- and later abandoned in the face of federal pressure -- by Mendocino County. The ordinance allowed medicinal grow operations of up to 99 plants, if they were inspected by officials.
The regulation question aside, Downey said there are countless grow operations in Humboldt County that are clearly beyond the scope of state medical marijuana laws. He said it's those grows he's looking for federal help with. ”They've been very responsive and very receptive to my wishes as sheriff of Humboldt County,” Downey said. “We're pretty much calling the shots. They supply resources when we ask for them, but they're not up here actively initiating any of these investigations.”
Randy Wagner, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency's special agent in charge of Northern California operations, said Downey has been great to work with. Wagner wouldn't specify how targets are being chosen for raids and search warrants, but said his department isn't interested in going after “the sick and the dying.”
Wagner also made clear it that, in his department's eyes, there is no such thing as legal marijuana sales or cultivation.
”We don't target medical marijuana, but we target drug traffickers and drug trafficking organizations. Period,” he said. “Our priorities and mission haven't changed. We're always targeting groups or individuals who are cultivating or producing and distributing large amounts of drugs.”
Targeting the “biggest and the baddest,” as Wagner put it, is a good thing, according to Gallegos. But, he said, it really only addresses part of the issue. No law enforcement agency, individually or collectively, has the resources to go after everyone, he said. Regulation would be a huge step in bringing the grows that are in compliance with Proposition 215 under some type of monitoring, diminishing abuses of the law and ensuring the environment isn't being destroyed.
”The two options I see are the federal government needs to change the stance it's taken with California's government's ability to regulate, or the state has to simply say, 'We accept your challenge, and we will move forward,'” Gallegos said.
“At some point, the community needs to be able to step in and say, 'This is an act we have legalized and now, as with every other legal activity of humanity, there need to be rules and regulations associated with it.”
”It's time to bring it out of the hills, into the open and permit it, and let our regulatory agencies go in and inspect it, just like they would with any other type of agricultural product,” he said
Push for pot regulation; amid federal activity, many still support oversight, regulat
If you read this article carefully you get an insight as to WHY bust's are up this year...very interesting reading.
=========================================
When he looks across Humboldt County, District Attorney Paul Gallegos can't say he's surprised with the proliferation of marijuana growing operations or with the environmental damage they bring.
”It's the same sort of thing you would get if you suddenly deregulated any other commercial endeavor,” Gallegos said. “If we had fishing without limits, there'd be no fish in the ocean. Imagine what the forests would look like if we had timber harvesting without oversight or regulation.
”With marijuana, we have an illegal industry running parallel with a putatively legal industry -- all totally unregulated,” Gallegos continued. “The natural result of this is you have complete adverse environmental impacts and adverse social impacts. That's what we're dealing with.”
The Humboldt County Sheriff's Office is teaming up with federal agencies to target some of the largest grow operations in the county, with Sheriff Mike Downey saying that cracking down on illicit grows is his top priority for the year. But the effort makes for some unlikely bedfellows, as some of those very same federal agencies have worked to block local and state efforts to regulate medical marijuana.
There seems to be widespread consensus among local officials that regulation of the medical marijuana cultivation industry would be a gigantic step toward reining in some of the abuses and toward making sure the drug is grown in a manner that is both environmentally friendly and safe for consumers.
But the federal government doesn't recognize state medical marijuana laws and -- with marijuana still classified alongside heroin as a Schedule 1 controlled substance -- maintains that it will vigorously enforce federal drug laws.
The U.S. Attorney's Office has even gone so far as to threaten municipalities -- including Arcata and Eureka -- saying it will consider prosecuting elected officials and government employees who “facilitate” violations of the federal Controlled Substances Act by passing or enforcing ordinances that sanction marijuana cultivation.
The chasm between the federal government's outlook on the issue and that of local officials was on full display at a recent League of California Cities Redwood Division meeting held in Humboldt County.
The division, which comprises North Coast counties and is directed by Arcata City Councilman Mark Wheetley, has made cracking down on illegal grow operations a priority for the year.
The meeting -- attended by local elected officials, state and federal law enforcement officers, environmental scientists and landowners -- was aimed at offering a forum for folks to pool information in order to help everyone apprised of the breadth of the problem. In what organizers believed was a coup, the meeting was also attended by Tommy Lanier, director of the White House-funded National Marijuana Initiative.
In a recent interview with the Times-Standard, Lanier said he focused his comments on the need for more education about large scale illegal cultivation. Lanier said he began his remarks by explaining why marijuana is not a medicine and urging officials to educate themselves and citizens about Sativex, a cannabinoid-based pharmaceutical alternative to marijuana.
Lanier said his other major goal was to make sure local officials knew they could not implement policies or ordinances that in any way facilitated, or were complacent regarding the medical marijuana industry.
”We hit that home pretty hard because what we don't want is a safe haven for people,” Lanier said.
North Coast Congressman Mike Thompson said he's disappointed that -- in the face of drug trafficking organizations conducting massive grow operations in state and national forests -- any federal agency would waste time and resources threatening local governments that are simply trying to reduce the harm associated with an unregulated industry legalized by California voters.
”It's crazy,” Thompson said, adding that he previously urged Attorney General Eric Holder to let states and local governments regulate medical marijuana as they see fit. “I raised that with Holder, and I need to circle back on that.”
Thompson said plainly that medical marijuana is legal in California, and there needs to be a regulatory process. He said there is just no oversight, leading to widespread abuses.
”I could not plant my vineyard the way these guys plant their pot,” he said. “I think there needs to be something done -- and I think counties and the state need to do it.”
While regulation is not likely to have an impact on a drug trafficking organization's grow operation on public lands, Gallegos said he thinks it will force many of the operations that purport to be in the gray areas of medical marijuana law into compliance, ensuring that they are operating within set limits and mitigating their environmental impacts.
”We always know we're going to have people who break the law,” Gallegos said. “Even with something like timber or fishing, there are people who engage in those activities illegally. But, if we can halve the harm by bringing part of the industry into compliance, we will have done a great thing.”
Downey -- who asked the feds to step in to help crack down on large scale grows throughout the county -- said he believes regulation would provide a big step toward reining in some of the abuse of state medical marijuana laws. The sheriff went so far as to advocate that the county adopt a regulation model similar to one enacted -- and later abandoned in the face of federal pressure -- by Mendocino County. The ordinance allowed medicinal grow operations of up to 99 plants, if they were inspected by officials.
The regulation question aside, Downey said there are countless grow operations in Humboldt County that are clearly beyond the scope of state medical marijuana laws. He said it's those grows he's looking for federal help with. ”They've been very responsive and very receptive to my wishes as sheriff of Humboldt County,” Downey said. “We're pretty much calling the shots. They supply resources when we ask for them, but they're not up here actively initiating any of these investigations.”
Randy Wagner, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency's special agent in charge of Northern California operations, said Downey has been great to work with. Wagner wouldn't specify how targets are being chosen for raids and search warrants, but said his department isn't interested in going after “the sick and the dying.”
Wagner also made clear it that, in his department's eyes, there is no such thing as legal marijuana sales or cultivation.
”We don't target medical marijuana, but we target drug traffickers and drug trafficking organizations. Period,” he said. “Our priorities and mission haven't changed. We're always targeting groups or individuals who are cultivating or producing and distributing large amounts of drugs.”
Targeting the “biggest and the baddest,” as Wagner put it, is a good thing, according to Gallegos. But, he said, it really only addresses part of the issue. No law enforcement agency, individually or collectively, has the resources to go after everyone, he said. Regulation would be a huge step in bringing the grows that are in compliance with Proposition 215 under some type of monitoring, diminishing abuses of the law and ensuring the environment isn't being destroyed.
”The two options I see are the federal government needs to change the stance it's taken with California's government's ability to regulate, or the state has to simply say, 'We accept your challenge, and we will move forward,'” Gallegos said.
“At some point, the community needs to be able to step in and say, 'This is an act we have legalized and now, as with every other legal activity of humanity, there need to be rules and regulations associated with it.”
”It's time to bring it out of the hills, into the open and permit it, and let our regulatory agencies go in and inspect it, just like they would with any other type of agricultural product,” he said
growbig789
Member
sounds like humboldt authorities are overwhelmed, and with no local resources or local guidelines for regulation the sheriff is looking to the feds. anything that brings more federal people in is not good, although at this point i don't think they can stop it.
i don't think (hope not at least) the tommy lanier guy will be able to spread much of his influence to the local govts... his message would be better received in the midwest - or maybe the san joaquin valley. I read that the humb sheriff wouldn't specifically say how big he's going after, but it seems like he could probably stay busy all fall busting 500+.
Tehama county (mine) actually has a pretty decent ordinance on the books if you have a big piece of property (up to 99 plants), although lotta people were complaining when it passed. i don't hear about too many people being busted here, and there are quite a few decent size grows in the rural areas...
the overgrow strategy seems to be working
i don't think (hope not at least) the tommy lanier guy will be able to spread much of his influence to the local govts... his message would be better received in the midwest - or maybe the san joaquin valley. I read that the humb sheriff wouldn't specifically say how big he's going after, but it seems like he could probably stay busy all fall busting 500+.
Tehama county (mine) actually has a pretty decent ordinance on the books if you have a big piece of property (up to 99 plants), although lotta people were complaining when it passed. i don't hear about too many people being busted here, and there are quite a few decent size grows in the rural areas...
the overgrow strategy seems to be working
