Visit Colorado's Number-One Spot For Busting Foreign Marijuana Growers

Ron Strider

Well-Known Member
The headline of a post published in this space last year posed the question, "Is Pueblo the Drug Bust Capital of Colorado?" And in recent months, law enforcement in the community has answered this question with a resounding "Yes," particularly when it comes to marijuana crimes with an international flavor. In a series of raids over the past four months, the Pueblo County Sheriff's Office, working in conjunction with other agencies, has seized more than 8,000 cannabis plants at allegedly illegal grows associated with foreign nationals. Among those arrested as part of the operations were eight men from Mexico and four from Cuba.

"This is another example of people coming from out of state to grow marijuana illegally to then sell it on the black market," said Pueblo County Sheriff Kirk M. Taylor in a statement. He added, "What's concerning to me is they are infiltrating nearly every corner of our county with this type of illegal activity."

Plenty of Pueblo-area marijuana busts covered in this space have involved Americans, though many of them weren't originally from Colorado. On April 5, 2016, for example, we told you about the arrest of nine men from Florida for illegal pot grows. And a roundup published just over three weeks later, on April 27, collected information about 22 Pueblo busts and 4,600 plants seized in just over a month; three people in a family whose members had come to Colorado from both Florida and Tennessee were among those fitted for cuffs.

At the same time, Sheriff Taylor has remained concerned about what he sees as the weed-related activities of Mexican drug enterprises in the Pueblo area. The PCSO recently maintained that four outdoor grows discovered in or near the San Isabel National Forest over the past five years were tied to cartels. In 2012, two grows were shut down, with 9,400 plants seized in the process. In October 2015, approximately 2,400 plants were spotted near the forest's Millset Trail. And in July 2016, 1,000 plants were uprooted from private property near Table Top Mountain.

Late June brought a fifth raid in this series. Two separate fields on U.S. Forest Service land near Huckleberry Hills, just outside the Town of Rye, yielded 7,400 plants. Two people wearing camouflage clothing who were thought to be caring for the grow evaded arrest, and because they got away, no definitive statements were made about a cartel connection. But their bounty was hauled away, and the sheriff's office estimated its value at $7 million.

Then, on October 2, the PCSO conducted another major operation near Colorado Highway 96 west, just outside Pueblo – and this time, there were plenty of people getting mug shots. One of them was a sixteen-year-old American who hasn't been named publicly owing to his age. But eight others are from Mexico.

After receiving a tip about marijuana growing on a forty-acre parcel along the highway, a search warrant was issued, and on the morning of the 2nd, PCSO detectives and deputies joined members of the SWAT team and agents with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) as they rushed onto two separate pot fields. Three suspects vanished into the woods, but the nine others, one of whom is said to be "a previously deported felon who will now face additional federal charges," were grabbed.

So, too, were the following: "Guns, several make-shift shelters, drying tables, drying lines, packaging materials as well as an elaborate irrigation system similar to those found in previous illegal outdoor grow operations that had cartel ties. There also was a complex watering system which included a well, operated by a large gas generator, a holding pond and a 300-gallon water storage tank." In addition, 500 pounds' worth of dried marijuana was on hand.

A week or so later came two more raids, both of which took place at residences in Pueblo – one on the 1800 block of 58th Lane and the second on the 500 block of Quail Road.

The total number of plants came to 365; the PCSO values them at $1 million. Also seized were five weapons and equipment – "elaborate lighting and irrigation systems to specifically grow marijuana."

In addition to decrying the incursion into Pueblo of drug criminals from outside the U.S., Sheriff Taylor also struck an environmental note, saying that chemicals used for fertilizer and alterations made to the electrical and watering systems at the homes were hazardous.

What's unclear about all this activity is whether the number of raids in Pueblo reflects an unusual amount of illegal marijuana activity there or Sheriff Taylor's aggressiveness when it comes to focusing on the trade. Either way, though, Pueblo is far and away the number-one spot in Colorado for the arrest of foreign pot growers.

Don't expect the local chamber of commerce to tout this achievement.

Outdoor_Grow_-_Pueblo_County_Sheriff_s_Office.jpg


News Moderator: Ron Strider 420 MAGAZINE ®
Full Article: Pueblo Marijuana Raids, Arrests of Mexicans and Cubans | Westword
Author: Michael Roberts
Contact: Denver News and Events | Westword
Photo Credit: Pueblo County Sheriff's Office
Website: Denver News and Events | Westword
 
I think America should either make it legal or not .how it is now looks bad .like you can grow dope as long as the man gets a load of dough for nothing insanity .at least in the uk we no it's illegal and that makes no difference
 
Depends on which County you are in as to the sentence you get when caught. In some Counties you will get taken to Court for a single plant, in Durham you can grow 9 plants and not be busted at all. So its a similar sort of ridiculousness, only on a smaller scale. Same as the way Medicinal Cannabis is legal in the UK, but try and get it ! We have the same situation here in Australia. As for the Government getting the money, its the State Government that gets the tax revenue, not the Federal Government, its a very different set up in the US tax wise compared to the UK. The US and Australia have a Federal and State Government system that is different to the UK where you have Westminster ruling the whole country.
 
Just make it legal everywhere and soo many problems will surely get much better,also many people will benefit from the medical side of this amazing plant our Dear God put on this earth that’s supposed to be the people’s? Please advocate for legalization and our freedom. Peace from hillbilly grower ✌
 
SCREW legalization, it should be "not subject to laws", sorta like sweet corn, rutabaga, parsnip etc. WHY make laws that can be twisted

and rearranged by those who want to profit. There are most likely 5 or more plants that have the ability to kill you within 500 meters

of your house and I doubt if many people can identify them. How come the law isn't controlling those plants?? Because there

are no dollar signs attached or insinuated.
 
I don't like the sound of legal America seems like there growing for the man and the buck .I'd prefer illegal weed more honest if you no the right people
 
there would be NO man and or buck involved if there were not laws to protect the motherfuckers who are killing people by denying

them access to cannabis. Those laws are made to protect their investments and to keep people chained to their product, they

do not care about the common person, only about maintaining the status quo so the $$$$ keep rolling in. The laws as they

stand are slanted towards the people who make laws and line their pockets with $$$ whilst many suffer for no other reason other than

"it is against the law". Free cannabis is good, I gave away over 3 kilos of bud last year to people who needed it, more to

follow this year
 
You can grow legally in the States that its legalised in and if you are a medical patient you can grow and the Government gets nothing. Beats Jail for a bedroom grow.
 
i live in southern utah and i have seen what these border rats can do to the forest first hand . they come in and poison all!! animal life in area then proceed to dump chemicals everywhere to promote plant weight . the truly sad part is they only run plants until there seems to enough weight then cut them down . i have never seen 1 bud from them that is mature . just a bunch of greedheads out to ruin it for those of us that do there best to grow and present a good product.
 
I live here in Colorado. I have a question. All these grows getting busted are illegal, possibly connected to a Mexican Cartel. We have had some illegal grows busted here on the Western Slope. If all these are illegal to begin with, why don't these people get closer to the border with Mexico and grow there. Why Colorado? Is it our climate? Just wondering
 
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