I wrote earlier this year about the discovery of a marijuana growing operation on the Shasta-Trinity National Forest. Now here’s the latest news on the Lassen National Forest marijuana garden/grow site bust:
Law enforcement officers for the Lassen and Plumas National Forests teamed up with fellow cooperators, Tehama County Sheriff’s Office, California Department of Fish and Game, and the Department of Justice’s CAMP Team to clean-up illegal grow sites on Lassen National Forest lands on the Almanor Ranger District.
The Forest Service has dramatically increased partnerships with other federal, state and local government organizations, which has significantly increased the success rate for finding and eradicating illegal marijuana growing operations.
For the week of August 2-6, law enforcement raided and eradicated, 27 different marijuana grow sites for more than 98,000 plants. Estimated street value is $490 million.
Total of three suspects were arrested and booked in Tehama County jail pending multiple federal and state charges.
The safety of Lassen forest visitors and Forest Service employees is our top priority. All local partner agencies are committed to keeping our national forests workforce and public safe from these type of activities, and preventing the resource damage that occurs from the illegal marijuana operations.
The Forest Service’s mission includes the protection and sustainability of public watersheds, native vegetation, wildlife and fisheries habitat, soils productively, and other ecosystem functions on 193 million acres.
And here’s the main portion of a post from last summer about how to recognize when you’re near a marijuana grow site and what to do:
Marijuana growers will be active on the national forests from now until usually the end of October and here are some clues that you may have come across a garden:
- The smell of Marijuana especially on hot days is like a skunk.
- Hoses or drip lines located in unusual or unexpected places.
- A well used trail where there shouldn’t be one.
- Voices coming from an unusual place.
- People standing along roads without vehicles present, or in areas where loitering appears unusual.
- Usually plantations are found in isolated locations; in rough steep terrains (typically between 500 to 5500 elevation).
- Camps contain cooking and sleeping areas with food.
- Small propane bottles are another indicator (so the grower can avoid detection of wood smoke).
- Fertilizer, weapons, garbage, dead animals.
- Individuals armed with rifles out of hunting season.
As soon as you become aware that you have entered a cultivation site, or have encountered any of the above listed situations, immediately reduce the threat by removing yourself from the area. Walk, crawl or run out the way you came in and make as little noise as possible. The growers may be present, and may or may not know that you have found their operation.
As soon as possible, contact your nearest Forest Service Law Enforcement Officer or Deputy and report as much detail about the incident as you can recall. Please contact Acting Special Agent in Charge, Laura Mark at (707) 562-8648 for more information.
And I added the following information:
Note that you are most likely to stumble upon a marijuana garden if you are hiking cross-country well away from established hiking trails. I’ve had one encounter with likely pot growers. It occurred on a spring in the lower reaches of a mountain range when I saw a beautiful creek with small waterfalls off in the distance and decided to hike cross-country to it. As I left the creek I encountered people hiking in who definitely were not typical hikers and who were likely scouting the place for a potential pot farming operation. I got out of there as fast as I could without making it obvious, and then I reported it to the national forest agency law enforcement.
I think the very real danger of armed criminals growing pot on national forests and Bureau of Land Management property is another argument in favor of legalizing marijuana. If pot were legal, we wouldn’t have to worry about this. And no, I don’t smoke pot. (Although I definitely did in the distant — and hazy — past.)
{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
Hi John,
I’m writing from Outside Magazine, doing a little research on this subject. I have a couple of questions for you. Could you email me at ndavidson@outsidemag.com when you get the chance? Thanks
Nick Davidson
Twitter: @TheJohnSoares
Hello Nick. Just sent you an e-mail.
{ 1 trackback }