I can't believe how close this was to my grandparent's house! I always love to hear things like this though, as I absolutely hate drugs. I can't believe people would think they could get away with a huge crop like this on public hiking land. It's amazing to think I could drive by that location and not even know what is going on.
Video here:
http://cbs13.com/local/local_story_226135100.html
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At least 40 heavily armed law enforcement officers raided two marijuana gardens blooming within a few miles of some of El Dorado County's most expensive homes.
Investigators linked the marijuana patches to one of Southern California's toughest criminal gangs.
No one was arrested but when the dust had settled, about 6,000 plants, many more than 6-feet tall, were seized.
There also was evidence that a like amount had already been harvested, said Lt. Kevin House, spokesman for the El Dorado County Sheriff's Department.
Monday's eradication effort was another local shot in the annual statewide war against what some say is California's biggest cash crop. The street value of the gardens raided Monday was probably in the $5 million to $8 million range considering what was confiscated and what had been harvested.
The camouflaged gardens on public lands were spread across steep, brush covered hillsides off Salmon Falls Road, within sight of million-dollar homes and Folsom Lake, about three miles from El Dorado Hills.
"We don't usually find many grows this close to civilization," said Gordon Taylor, assistant special agent in charge for the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration Eastern Division of California.
Markings carved into a tree and evidence found on the hillside indicate that the marijuana growing operation was orchestrated by the Surenos, a southern California-based gang that is in turn linked to the Mexican Mafia, Taylor said.
"This is organized crime and that is what we are finding with a lot of these operations that use Mexican nationals," Taylor said. "This is big business."
Even though California voters legalized marijuana use for medical purposes, law enforcement officials still view the weed as a damaging and pervasive problem.
"Recreational" use in the Sacramento region pretty much mirrors what is being seen nationwide where marijuana "is rated as the No. 1 abused drug," Taylor said.
But there is nothing recreational about what the drug does to some young users, Taylor said.
"More teenagers are entering drug treatment programs for marijuana abuse than for all other drugs combined," Taylor said.
"There is a lot of marijuana still out there and it is having a tremendous influence on society," House said. "It is a gigantic problem."
For Sacramento area teenagers, lighting up a joint may be as commonplace as tapping into a keg of beer, he said.
"It is every bit as common as that," House said.
Special Weapons and Tactics teams from three counties spearheaded the early morning sweep near Salmon Falls Road. They were accompanied by California National Guard soldiers, DEA agents and other personnel associated with the state Department of Justice's "Campaign Against Marijuana Planting."
The first units into the area moved warily making sure that no armed guards or booby-traps were in the area. Manzanita, buck brush and poison oak grew so thick along the steep hillsides that individuals could easily have hidden in the bursh.
Along with the pot, they found an abandoned camp, strewn with garbage, some ammunition and an intricately designed drip irrigation system.
As the summer sun rose, the officers and agents began the back-breaking job of hand-pulling the plants before hauling them out to loading zones. The piles were placed in large mesh baskets and hauled away by helicopters. The rugged terrain and lack of access made the work slow and hard.
Black plastic pipe extended throughout the area providing water to plants placed individually and in small clumps. One growing area used water piped out of Sweetwater Creek while the other system tapped water out of Falls Creek.
Although the gardeners had carefully sited their operation in an attempt to keep it hidden, their irrigation system gave them away.
"This investigation started in May when a citizen observed PVC pipe that looked suspicious," Taylor said.
In one garden officers found a lean-to drying room with about 20 plants hanging inside. Plants in that garden were about 3-feet tall. Plants in the other location were more robust many at least 6-feet tall.
"This is a pretty typical Mexican national garden," said Ray LeLoup, special agent with the federal Bureau of Land Management.
LeLoup was looking over the pile of garbage, a propane stove, shovels, fertilizer and other debris that had been left behind along the damaged hillside.
During the "harvest season," LeLoup spends a lot of time busting brush in an area that stretches from near Fresno all the way to Redding.
"I probably do two or three of these a week," LeLoup said.
Early indications point to a busy local marijuana season. Earlier this month a similar outdoor garden was eradicated near the El Dorado County community of Greenwood. During the same time frame a joint task force broke up an indoor growing operation in Elk Grove and seized another 2,000 plants.
The campaign against planting is run by the state Department of Justice in conjunction with federal and local law enforcement.
Good job guys, hopefully one day I'll be able to join you in clearing out these drugs!
Video here:
http://cbs13.com/local/local_story_226135100.html
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
At least 40 heavily armed law enforcement officers raided two marijuana gardens blooming within a few miles of some of El Dorado County's most expensive homes.
Investigators linked the marijuana patches to one of Southern California's toughest criminal gangs.
No one was arrested but when the dust had settled, about 6,000 plants, many more than 6-feet tall, were seized.
There also was evidence that a like amount had already been harvested, said Lt. Kevin House, spokesman for the El Dorado County Sheriff's Department.
Monday's eradication effort was another local shot in the annual statewide war against what some say is California's biggest cash crop. The street value of the gardens raided Monday was probably in the $5 million to $8 million range considering what was confiscated and what had been harvested.
The camouflaged gardens on public lands were spread across steep, brush covered hillsides off Salmon Falls Road, within sight of million-dollar homes and Folsom Lake, about three miles from El Dorado Hills.
"We don't usually find many grows this close to civilization," said Gordon Taylor, assistant special agent in charge for the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration Eastern Division of California.
Markings carved into a tree and evidence found on the hillside indicate that the marijuana growing operation was orchestrated by the Surenos, a southern California-based gang that is in turn linked to the Mexican Mafia, Taylor said.
"This is organized crime and that is what we are finding with a lot of these operations that use Mexican nationals," Taylor said. "This is big business."
Even though California voters legalized marijuana use for medical purposes, law enforcement officials still view the weed as a damaging and pervasive problem.
"Recreational" use in the Sacramento region pretty much mirrors what is being seen nationwide where marijuana "is rated as the No. 1 abused drug," Taylor said.
But there is nothing recreational about what the drug does to some young users, Taylor said.
"More teenagers are entering drug treatment programs for marijuana abuse than for all other drugs combined," Taylor said.
"There is a lot of marijuana still out there and it is having a tremendous influence on society," House said. "It is a gigantic problem."
For Sacramento area teenagers, lighting up a joint may be as commonplace as tapping into a keg of beer, he said.
"It is every bit as common as that," House said.
Special Weapons and Tactics teams from three counties spearheaded the early morning sweep near Salmon Falls Road. They were accompanied by California National Guard soldiers, DEA agents and other personnel associated with the state Department of Justice's "Campaign Against Marijuana Planting."
The first units into the area moved warily making sure that no armed guards or booby-traps were in the area. Manzanita, buck brush and poison oak grew so thick along the steep hillsides that individuals could easily have hidden in the bursh.
Along with the pot, they found an abandoned camp, strewn with garbage, some ammunition and an intricately designed drip irrigation system.
As the summer sun rose, the officers and agents began the back-breaking job of hand-pulling the plants before hauling them out to loading zones. The piles were placed in large mesh baskets and hauled away by helicopters. The rugged terrain and lack of access made the work slow and hard.
Black plastic pipe extended throughout the area providing water to plants placed individually and in small clumps. One growing area used water piped out of Sweetwater Creek while the other system tapped water out of Falls Creek.
Although the gardeners had carefully sited their operation in an attempt to keep it hidden, their irrigation system gave them away.
"This investigation started in May when a citizen observed PVC pipe that looked suspicious," Taylor said.
In one garden officers found a lean-to drying room with about 20 plants hanging inside. Plants in that garden were about 3-feet tall. Plants in the other location were more robust many at least 6-feet tall.
"This is a pretty typical Mexican national garden," said Ray LeLoup, special agent with the federal Bureau of Land Management.
LeLoup was looking over the pile of garbage, a propane stove, shovels, fertilizer and other debris that had been left behind along the damaged hillside.
During the "harvest season," LeLoup spends a lot of time busting brush in an area that stretches from near Fresno all the way to Redding.
"I probably do two or three of these a week," LeLoup said.
Early indications point to a busy local marijuana season. Earlier this month a similar outdoor garden was eradicated near the El Dorado County community of Greenwood. During the same time frame a joint task force broke up an indoor growing operation in Elk Grove and seized another 2,000 plants.
The campaign against planting is run by the state Department of Justice in conjunction with federal and local law enforcement.
Good job guys, hopefully one day I'll be able to join you in clearing out these drugs!
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