Wilbur
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The devious mountain landscape almost masked a big mystery from a random hiker who stumbled upon 1,500 marijuana plants in the San Bernardino Mountains one day in July.
While it was a significant find, sheriff's deputies familiar with the rugged terrain ventured farther into the Angelus Oaks woods and found about 53,000 more plants, one of the largest busts in county history.
It's been a good year for San Bernardino County law enforcement in terms of marijuana plant seizures. The Sheriff's Department found and removed more than 97,000 plants, the most since 1991. The county also ranked fifth in the state for plants seized with the assistance of a state eradication group.
But members of the sheriff's Marijuana Eradication Team say they still have a lot more work to do.
"I know for a fact we did not find all the marijuana (that) grows in the San Bernardino Mountains that were out there," said Sgt. John Ginter, team supervisor. "There are some that we missed. That's our goal next year is to try to identify more locations and eradicate more plants."
Law-enforcement officers assigned to marijuana farms say the county's high ranking this year is due to more and more growers discovering the San Bernardino National Forest is ideal for concealing their lucrative enterprises.
"The remoteness of our forest lands and the availability of our water sources is the reason for the increase in the plant numbers," Ginter said.
It's a trend reflected across the state.
The Department of Justice said 2006 was a record-setting year for pot plant seizures, with 1.7 million plants removed mostly from public lands such as state and national parks and forests. That's an increase of about 540,000 plants over 2005.
The plants were worth an estimated $6.7 billion. The department's Campaign Against Marijuana Planting, or CAMP program, conducted 477 raids in 34 counties during the growing season, which typically starts in late July and ends as late as November, depending on the weather.
While some local law enforcement officials believe activity is increasing, state officials say the increase in seizures is due to more manpower, better equipment and training.
Five teams under the CAMP program were used this past growing season, compared with three in 2005, said DOJ spokeswoman Robin Schwanke.
Marijuana seizures in 2006 under the Campaign Against Marijuana Planting
Total plants seized: 1,675,681
Estimated value: $6.7 billion
Raids: 477
Arrests: 27
Weapons seized: 29
Plant seizures by county*
1. Lake - 314,603
2. Shasta - 227,488
3. Mendocino - 135,736
4. Fresno - 102,814
5. San Bernardino - 91,286
6. Riverside - 84,752
7. Sonoma - 73,460
8. Trinity - 68,544
9. Humboldt - 59,616
10. Santa Clara - 52,416
* Numbers reflect busts conducted under the Campaign Against Marijuana Planting, or CAMP, program. Some counties, such as Los Angeles and San Diego, do not utilize CAMP.
Source: California Department of Justice
Members of the team have also increased the use of helicopter surveillance, helping them track more growth locations and making them easier to access.
"Agents can be transported by helicopter into the garden, whereas before they hiked in and hiked out with the marijuana," Schwanke said.
San Bernardino County's Marijuana Eradication Team is most active during the growth and harvest season, but works year-round staking out potential growth sites and locations of prior busts.
It's a job full of hazards. The team navigates steep and rocky terrain, avoiding snakes and other wild animals. It also occasionally runs into pot farm workers carrying firearms.
"It's not so much to fight off law enforcement, but to fight off wild animals or people trying to invade the turf and steal the product," Ginter said.
Sometimes plants are discovered by chance.
In July, firefighters battling the 61,700-acre Sawtooth Complex Fire in a remote area of Little Morongo Canyon discovered plants covering nearly two square miles.
Deputies have discovered they are often at a disadvantage when it comes to catching people operating the farms.
Growers pick locations ideal for spotting any intruders, especially law enforcement. Workers camp in trees and work as lookouts on high ground. They have a couple minutes to an hour head start before officers even spot a plant.
They plant on several sites, knowing they may have to sacrifice one or two plots in law-enforcement busts.
"It's what we learn from the previous grow season that we apply in the next grow season," Ginter said. "It's an ever-changing deal. They learn from us just as we learn from them."
Newshawk: User - 420 Magazine
Source: DailyBulletin.com
Pubdate: 26 December 2006
Author: Melissa Pinion
Copyright: 2006 Los Angeles Newspaper Group
Contact: Inland Valley Daily Bulletin: Local News, Sports and Things to Do
Website: Inland Valley Daily Bulletin: Local News, Sports and Things to Do
While it was a significant find, sheriff's deputies familiar with the rugged terrain ventured farther into the Angelus Oaks woods and found about 53,000 more plants, one of the largest busts in county history.
It's been a good year for San Bernardino County law enforcement in terms of marijuana plant seizures. The Sheriff's Department found and removed more than 97,000 plants, the most since 1991. The county also ranked fifth in the state for plants seized with the assistance of a state eradication group.
But members of the sheriff's Marijuana Eradication Team say they still have a lot more work to do.
"I know for a fact we did not find all the marijuana (that) grows in the San Bernardino Mountains that were out there," said Sgt. John Ginter, team supervisor. "There are some that we missed. That's our goal next year is to try to identify more locations and eradicate more plants."
Law-enforcement officers assigned to marijuana farms say the county's high ranking this year is due to more and more growers discovering the San Bernardino National Forest is ideal for concealing their lucrative enterprises.
"The remoteness of our forest lands and the availability of our water sources is the reason for the increase in the plant numbers," Ginter said.
It's a trend reflected across the state.
The Department of Justice said 2006 was a record-setting year for pot plant seizures, with 1.7 million plants removed mostly from public lands such as state and national parks and forests. That's an increase of about 540,000 plants over 2005.
The plants were worth an estimated $6.7 billion. The department's Campaign Against Marijuana Planting, or CAMP program, conducted 477 raids in 34 counties during the growing season, which typically starts in late July and ends as late as November, depending on the weather.
While some local law enforcement officials believe activity is increasing, state officials say the increase in seizures is due to more manpower, better equipment and training.
Five teams under the CAMP program were used this past growing season, compared with three in 2005, said DOJ spokeswoman Robin Schwanke.
Marijuana seizures in 2006 under the Campaign Against Marijuana Planting
Total plants seized: 1,675,681
Estimated value: $6.7 billion
Raids: 477
Arrests: 27
Weapons seized: 29
Plant seizures by county*
1. Lake - 314,603
2. Shasta - 227,488
3. Mendocino - 135,736
4. Fresno - 102,814
5. San Bernardino - 91,286
6. Riverside - 84,752
7. Sonoma - 73,460
8. Trinity - 68,544
9. Humboldt - 59,616
10. Santa Clara - 52,416
* Numbers reflect busts conducted under the Campaign Against Marijuana Planting, or CAMP, program. Some counties, such as Los Angeles and San Diego, do not utilize CAMP.
Source: California Department of Justice
Members of the team have also increased the use of helicopter surveillance, helping them track more growth locations and making them easier to access.
"Agents can be transported by helicopter into the garden, whereas before they hiked in and hiked out with the marijuana," Schwanke said.
San Bernardino County's Marijuana Eradication Team is most active during the growth and harvest season, but works year-round staking out potential growth sites and locations of prior busts.
It's a job full of hazards. The team navigates steep and rocky terrain, avoiding snakes and other wild animals. It also occasionally runs into pot farm workers carrying firearms.
"It's not so much to fight off law enforcement, but to fight off wild animals or people trying to invade the turf and steal the product," Ginter said.
Sometimes plants are discovered by chance.
In July, firefighters battling the 61,700-acre Sawtooth Complex Fire in a remote area of Little Morongo Canyon discovered plants covering nearly two square miles.
Deputies have discovered they are often at a disadvantage when it comes to catching people operating the farms.
Growers pick locations ideal for spotting any intruders, especially law enforcement. Workers camp in trees and work as lookouts on high ground. They have a couple minutes to an hour head start before officers even spot a plant.
They plant on several sites, knowing they may have to sacrifice one or two plots in law-enforcement busts.
"It's what we learn from the previous grow season that we apply in the next grow season," Ginter said. "It's an ever-changing deal. They learn from us just as we learn from them."
Newshawk: User - 420 Magazine
Source: DailyBulletin.com
Pubdate: 26 December 2006
Author: Melissa Pinion
Copyright: 2006 Los Angeles Newspaper Group
Contact: Inland Valley Daily Bulletin: Local News, Sports and Things to Do
Website: Inland Valley Daily Bulletin: Local News, Sports and Things to Do
