[moose eater]

Originally Posted by oldchuck

Why do they show up here now when prices are dropping fast? Why haven't they been here all along, or have they been?

The Mexican nationals' case in Anchorage was 20 years ago (+/-), and there've been allegations of foreign nationals in California's Nat'l Parks doing guerilla grows on public lands for decades.

Not sure if there's been any changes in frequency of incidence of this phenomenon over the last bunch of years, or not.

[pumpkinpie eyes]

Originally Posted by moose eater

The Mexican nationals' case in Anchorage was 20 years ago (+/-), and there've been allegations of foreign nationals in California's Nat'l Parks doing guerilla grows on public lands for decades.

Not sure if there's been any changes in frequency of incidence of this phenomenon over the last bunch of years, or not.

Yup. they hit remote public lands. doeznt matter what nationality. guess chinese needz more hemp- heh!

[944s2]

So is it only illegals getting busted?,,,
if yes then like the uk or we are like the usa as Vietnemese illegals are the only ones who seem to get charged these days over here,,,,,s2

[moose eater]

Can't say for sure, s2, though I suspect scale has something to do with some of that.

I stay socially isolated intentionally, but I've known a number of
black market growers, but none I've known of had any where near the plant count or size operation(s) these folks had. There's crime, and there's larger scale organized crime.

Making yourself a giant target via greed is a big no-no rule in my survival hand-book.

There -were- a couple of folks busted last year down near Tok Jct., Alaska, but it's my understanding they'd made some enemies socially there, or at least rubbed some folks the wrong way in that small cross-roads, and my understanding (2 or 3 times removed) is that the aura of their interactions bit them in the ass in the end. But in their case, they had no where near what these folks in the article had.

Originally Posted by 944s2

So is it only illegals getting busted?,,,
if yes then like the uk or we are like the usa as Vietnemese illegals are the only ones who seem to get charged these days over here,,,,,s2

[Gypsy Nirvana]

I guess that if I were an illegal immigrant that didn't speak the local language, and had to keep a lowish profile not to be picked up by LEO's but needed to work, then being an indoor canna-grower easily beats working in a nail bar, in the kitchen of a Chinese restaurant, or picking avocados.

[moose eater]

True enough, but behaviors running counter to that need for a lower profile might include establishing a 'WalMart of Weed' sized operation.

For me, 'low profile' stops at some place under $100,000/year (somewhat arbitrarily speaking, mind you), and even that might put you on the radar some places..

Personally, I believe that survival in the Black Market heavily relies on good social interactions, and a 'mom & pop' scale.

Originally Posted by Gypsy Nirvana

I guess that if I were an illegal immigrant that didn't speak the local language, and had to keep a lowish profile not to be picked up by LEO's but needed to work, then being an indoor canna-grower easily beats working in a nail bar, in the kitchen of a Chinese restaurant, or picking avocados.

[Gypsy Nirvana]

Originally Posted by moose eater

True enough, but behaviors running counter to that need for a lower profile might include establishing a 'WalMart of Weed' sized operation.

For me, 'low profile' stops at some place under $100,000/year (somewhat arbitrarily speaking, mind you), and even that might put you on the radar some places..

Personally, I believe that survival in the Black Market heavily relies on good social interactions, and a 'mom & pop' scale.

I very much doubt that the big-shots behind these massive multiple grows actually get caught, and its mostly the 'troopers in the trenches' that get picked up by LEO's, and most of these troopers, due to being strangers in a strange land are not so aware of what is risky and what is not. They might well have been told that what they are growing is a legal product, but because they are illegal immigrants they have to keep a low profile, and stay indoors, if they want to stay safe.

[moose eater]

Yep. As was the case with the Anchorage rentals I referenced earlier, the folks making the larger money never got picked up. The grunts testified against each other, and the home-owners got shafted, or, if they were lucky, had their insurance cover it.

Again, the fact that these folks in the article BOUGHT the properties in question is admirable.

If they paid cash for the homes, even if in larger payments, that might have helped to put them on someone's screen too.

Originally Posted by Gypsy Nirvana

I very much doubt that the big-shots behind these massive multiple grows actually get caught, and its mostly the 'troopers in the trenches' that get picked up by LEO's, and most of these troopers, due to being strangers in a strange land are not so aware of what is risky and what is not. They might well have been told that what they are growing is a legal product, but because they are illegal immigrants they have to keep a low profile, and stay indoors, if they want to stay safe.