Drug agents found more than 500 marijuana farms in San Diego County forests and parks since 2007 along with banned pesticides, poisons and discarded equipment used during the grows, U.S. Attorney Laura Duffy said Tuesday.
Agents in San Diego County seized 1.5 million marijuana plants worth an estimated $3 billion over the past five years. The illicit farms were in areas that included near Palomar Mountain, in Cleveland National Forest, between avocado groves and within walking distance from California State University San Marcos, Duffy said.
The marijuana grows were responsible for the destruction of natural vegetation, Duffy said.
Authorities found makeshift kitchens, sleeping areas and bathrooms. Shotgun shells, discarded irrigation lines and containers from fertilizers, pesticides and poisons smuggled from Mexico that could contaminate the local water supply were also recovered, Duffy said.
Agents found discarded car and motorcycle engines used to charge cell phones during the five-month growing season that ends in October, officials
said.
“Despite individual convictions about marijuana use, as a community we need to consider the damage that mass cultivation inflicts on our precious natural resources,” Duffy said.
“Most people likely have no idea how much marijuana is grown on public lands or that these grows are being operated at the expense of our pristine forests and parks.”
During this year's growing season, the statewide Cannabis Eradication and Reclamation Team cleaned up two grow sites, including the operation near the Cal State San Marcos campus.
The most recent bust in San Diego County was in July when 41,000 plants valued at $82 million were seized in the Warner Springs area. The largest recent farm located was in a remote area of the Cuyamaca Mountains where 80,000 plants worth an estimated $160 million were seized.
Since July 1, authorities in California, Arizona, Idaho, Nevada, Oregon, Utah and Washington eradicated about 578,000 plants worth about $1.156 billion from public lands as part of a multi-agency operation called Operation Mountain Sweep.
About 483,000 were found in California. The grow sites were not in San Diego County, although officials said local investigations were ongoing.
—City News Service
that tells us that the growers are from mexico, not the states...
$3 billion seized and they didn't even put a dent in the industry.... billions of dollars of lost tax revenue, buildings rented, legal jobs for working families, ...combined with the millions spent on law enforcement and the judicial system... ...and we wonder why our state and country are in economic despair...
So, now I said it people can think I am a "Stupid" Pot head and a Local Wine grower hater! go ahead, judge me and complain because you are a clean cut Church going conservative, but next time you take a legal Pharmicutical that works for you, judge your self as you are, "a pill popper" a Legal and clean satisfied pill popper. Thank God you are not allergic to Pills.. or if you need no pills because you are a healthy person, then God has blessed you. I need not.
WHAT A CONCEPT!!!!!!!
Jane Tanaka MD, Greg Chick's wife.
The United States incarcerates more people than any other country in the world. Many of them are in prisons for cultivation, distribution and sale of marijuana. The majority of them are not violent criminals. Marijuana prohibition only supports the Prison Industrial Complex and costs taxpayers billions in retirement pensions for union prison guards. Alcohol causes far more tragedy and loss of life than marijuana. Families are devastated by alcoholism as well as the violence prevalent in a household with an alcoholic. Drivers under the influence of alcohol cause 99% of DUI accidents. When is the last time you heard of an individual dying of a marijuana overdose? When is the last time you heard of a person becoming violent and injuring or killing someone because of being intoxicated on marijuana? I know that, for the most part, I am preaching to the choir. The prohibition on alcohol did not work and the prohibition on marijuana is a failure. The only people in the war on drug that benefit are the narco-terrorist, cultivators in South America, drug traffickers, domestic drug pushers, attorneys and the prison guards. It is time to legalize, regulate and tax marijuana. There is never going to be an end to the demand so it should be regarded like other drugs such as alcohol and cigarettes.
Big Pharma - enormous profits from prescription painkillers, sleeping pills. For-Profit Prisons, Jails - Our govt guarantees them profits by guaranteeing them at least 85% capacity. Prison guards, vendors, law enforcement agencies - All receive greater income or subsidy as number of arrests and inmates increase. U.S. has highest reported incarceration rate in the world. 2.5 million adults and juveniles behind bars. 60% in prisons and jails are there for non-violent drug offenses. Law enforcement wastes billions on enforcing out-dated drug laws, which mean real crimes are not being investigated as they should. The obvious solution is to reduce marijuana from Class 1 to Class 2 or 3 drug. (It's not a drug anyway, it's an herb). Then the Feds will no longer be involved. It becomes a state issue. Addicts need treatment, not jail time. Treatment is many times less expensive, and much more effective than jail. Marijuana should be legalized and taxed. Only huge corporate bribes to our politicians on both sides of the aisle keep this from happening. California spends 5 times more per inmate than it does per student. From less than $5 billion in 2000 to more than $10 billion now, rising twice as fast as school spending. Incarceration for non-violent drugs in California - more than 25,000. Do the right thing for our economy.
Greg Chick
Greg Chick, Jane Tanaka MDs' Husband. Who's comments are his own and of no reflection of his wife's. :), :0, ...
Like the Comedian Chris Tucker said in a Jackie Chan Movie "Follow the money to the rich white guy and you will find the crime" This is Comedy, not prejudice, Comedy can be a coping skill. Too bad the comedy of Justice isn't funny. Davids comment is all to real. Greg Chick...
the marriott is building a resort on the beach to cater to artists & nature lovers.... legalizing weed in imperial beach would help to shape i.b. as a holistic/natural healing center..:
No on S, it is a shit&$@)( thing to do to a city.
I understand the anger people living in the neighborhood of a medical marijuana outlet. If you have a single outlet for a large area, the neighborhood will naturally be affected with high (no pun intended) pedestrian and vehicle traffic volume, and associated disruptions and "problems" that understandably cause resentment and anger among the people. I am 65 years old, and like the vast majority of people my age, smoked marijuana, ate the brownies, etc. in younger days. It is not physically addictive. The federal government should end classification of cannabis as Class 1 narcotic and let the states address the issue. Further, hemp production (you can smoke an acre of it and you can't get high) is also banned by the Feds. It is a better source of paper than trees, better quality, centuries longer lasting, wood-based paper recycled 3 times, hemp paper 7-8 times, etc. Small American farmers, right here in SD County could grow hemp, it's not water intensive, no pesticides, easy to grow, makes paper, clothing, plastics, dozens more wonderful products. Other countries are making billions with hemp production. Our small farmers are under incredible strain, for no reason. It's BIG OIL and BIG PHARMA bribes to your representatives that keep cannabis a class 1 narcotic, gets many criminal records, gets 1000's killed in Mexico, wastes police and court time, money. Prohibition didn't work then, doesnt work now.
Thank God it is gone! No problem with personal use, but this was legalized drug dealing. Anyone could obviously get a card from a Doctor. The very scum of the earth showed up, high fived each other upon scoring and walked around the corner and sold the high grade stuff for a profit. Then would take their extra money and buy harder (probably meth cause its cheap) drugs down the street. Once you get government involved and think you put the right controls on it, think again. Taxing the hell out of it only causes more to be grown under ground. Pretty sure these people don't pay taxes.
the prices are higher in the stores than on the streets...no one is paying top price then re-selling it for less money.... ...and why would anyone buy from the scum of the earth when they can just get a card and buy from the store themselves? i'm all for legitimate conversation about weed, but all i ever hear from the opposition is lies, fear mongering, and the accusation that weed farmers, doctors, retailers, and tax paying consumers are an undesirable demographic of society.
Just a theory.
that theory would apply to booze and tobacco because they're not accessible on the streets, but weed is cheaper on the streets... it's just like any other business....exchange weed for shoes....it's going to be more expensive to buy a pair of nikies in a prime mall location than it would be to buy them in a flea market.....or from a guy on the side of the road... no one is buying shoes retail from stores in la jolla and selling them on the streets of el cajon... to adults or kids...
Exchange weed for shoes? Shoes aren't illegal. Sorry about floating a theory I apologize.