Deputies Discover Marijuana Farm With Over 23,000 Plants

[matcom]

:cry:

<snip>

FAIRFIELD, Calif. -- Someone has lost a ton of pot.

Investigators uncovered a marijuana farm with more than 23,000 plants in Solano County, sheriff's officials said.

Deputies said the pot was growing in a steep canyon area northwest of Vacaville. The plants were watered through a sophisticated irrigation system, with some pipes up to four miles long.

Investigators estimated the value of the marijuana crop could have been as high $117 million dollars. The illegal weed was destroyed.

Officials have not made any busts, but said they found some campsites apparently used by the pot growers.

http://www.wftv.com/irresistible/4642826/detail.html

[mark414]

1. ...

:cry: :cry: :cry: :cry: :cry: :cry: :cry: :cry: :cry: :cry: :cry: :cry: :cry: :cry: :cry: :cry: :cry: :cry: :cry: :cry: :cry: :cry: :cry: :cry: :cry: :cry: :cry: :cry: :cry: :cry: :cry: :cry: :cry: :cry: :cry: :cry: :cry: :cry: :cry: :cry:

[underpants]

4. -

What is the story with the sig line pic?

Just wondering

[mark414]

5. - - -

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0110057/

[underpants]

8. Ooops

I didn't recognize it. Great film

[KG]

2. bummer, dude.

:(

[sniffa]

3. there goes your bbq pLans

:cry:

[ucmike]

6. $117 million??? where do they get that number

probably based on the weight of the whole crop, not just the marketable portion, probably figured at the highest possible street value.

makes it seem like they did something huge. i imagine a bunch of sheriffs in fatigues standing around doing everything they can to add weight to the total (sort of like the dealers). they go home at night satisfied that they were able to keep hundreds of pounds of unusable roots and stems off the street.

[Trigger Hippie]

7. Nooooooo!

Not fair!!!


:cry:

[sniffa]

11. i know

the price just went up. :cry:

[ernstbass]

9. Now that's what I call a field of dreams!!

[Saphire]

10. shoot, now I have to go somewhere else........

[Misunderestimator]

12. Yes, let's make sure we clamp down on all those horrible, horrible

people growing a weed that actually helps people. :eyes:

[sniffa]

13. i hear it's a gateway drug

to seLLing bigger and badder drugs.

[Misunderestimator]

15. Yes, it's vewwy, vewwy scawwy!

[bridgit]

14. the beat goes on...

http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2005/06/23/MNGRODDG321.DTL

[ucmike]

17. as a smoker i feel the same...but....

i saw a report detailing how 9/11 security efforts (no, really) have made mexican drug gangs begin growing on this side of the border. they have made real trouble in national parks with pot farms that use heavy chemicals and pesticides, not to mention threatening hikers and fisherman and ruining acres and acres of forest. the operation in the article above reminds me of the type of camps used by the drug cartels.

the idea of peaceful hippies sitting around a pot garden enjoying the fruits of their labor isn't really appropriate anymore.

[Misunderestimator]

18. Then let's get to the heart of the problem and legalize it.

Then I think that idea of the peaceful hippies sitting a campfire singing kumbaya while toking on their pipes would not be so far-fetched.

It's pretty obvious that the only thing making this a lucrative endeavor for those Mexican drug gangs you mention is the fact that this plant is illegal. How silly is that?

[Zuni]

19. exactly---legalization or decriminalization

would put a lot of drug dealers and gangs and other thugs out of business real quick

I would much rather some farmer growing crops got the Marijuana money than some gangsters

[ucmike]

20. i agree completely.

but that won't happen anytime soon.

unless, of course, the government and their corporate pals could make some money off it...........

[sniffa]

21. that's dirt weed though

who cares. :puke:

[chickenscratching]

22. I love it when you talk like that

you're my man! :loveya:
when do we get to pass the peace pipe around fer fucks sake? :cry:

[sniffa]

24. when one of us visits

i thought you were gone for the day... i was missing your Love notes. :loveya:

[chickenscratching]

26. suprisingly enough,

the office actually has me working today! but I'm sure you'll find something lovely in your PM later on today. ;)

[Bridget Burke]

25. Do you have a link to that report?

It would be very interesting....

[ucmike]

27. no, it was a investigative piece i saw on a cable channel

sorry, i don't remember which channel or the name of the program. it was scary. the farmers had cut back acres of hillside to create terraced gardens under the canopy, then used irrigation piping,(miles of it) to draw most of the water out of nearby streams. they used whatever chemicals they had on hand to kill weeds and pests and just dumped their trash at the edge of the crops.

i believe they focused on yellowstone, interviewing the head of the parks own swat team who was responsible for combating it. the growers are all armed and not afraid to shoot. he said the gangs get the crews and equipment together and take them into the forest, then leave them there and resupply once a week. due to the size of the park they can't keep up with the growers. they have one forester who is responsible for re-foresting the affected areas, but she only had part-time or volunteer crews.

they interviewed a fisherman who was approached by an armed guard, who took his drivers license and told him if he said anything or ever came back to the area they would take care of him. the head of the swat team said they suspect it happens a lot, but people are afraid to report it.

with budget cuts and such, the park managers are doing all they can to keep the growers out, but they're losing.

[RevolutionaryActs]

16. That's a lot of weed.

Think about how many joints that could have been rolled, or brownies that could have been baked.

[MadHound]

23. I'm sorry but that kind of operation is just a bust waiting to happen

Shit, rather than grow it all together like that, making for an obvious and easy target, guerilla grow the stuff. A few plants hers, a few plants there, if one patch is compromised, the rest is still viable.

That is just idiocy.

[TX-RAT]

28. Has to be damn good at an appraised value of 5087.00 per plant.

How do they come up with these numbers.

[Scout1071]

30. Spoken like someone who's never seen the Northern Cali

variety. It's the freakin' Dom Perignon of bud.

[TX-RAT]

32. Last time i smoked pot was in the early 70's

Once i went to work for the Sheriffs Department i thought they might look down on it. I did smoke a ton of Thai Sticks, when i was in Vietnam. Those would kick you ass.

[Scout1071]

33. I've been to Thailand. Trust me....they don't have anything on

those Northern Cali farmers. Only places even remotely close to that kind of quality are Vancouver and Amsterdam.

Or so I've heard anyway Officer........

[TX-RAT]

36. Retired

[Scout1071]

29. I was thinking, please be near me, please be near me.

But no. Had to be out in Northern Cali where they really know how to grow.

Man, that sucks they found out that yummy, tasty, northern cali bud.

[Rabrrrrrr]

31. A measly 23,000 counts as a farm? That should just be "recreational".

[Zuni]

35. what does 23,000 plants really add up to? a joint or two?

[Zuni]

34. that was my fuckin' stash, bro

damn :cry: