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With the help of volunteers and a keen eye, State Parks Police and Contra Costa County sheriffs raided a marijuana growing operation on Mount Diablo last week, netting between $3 million and $5 million in plants.
During a routine flyover on Wednesday, Sept. 7, sheriffs spotted a group of marijuana plants on the northeast quadrant of the state park. Sheriffs also saw suspects running away, said Roland Gaebert, sector superintendent for California state parks.
“We went out there first thing in the morning, and cleared the area with rangers and Contra Costa County sheriffs and no one was caught,” Gaebert said. “Between 2,000 and 3,000 mature plants were removed.”
State and county officials and 100 rescue volunteers have since destroyed the plants on Saturday, Sept. 10, but the investigation is ongoing. Gaebert said investigators are not sure who was involved or if they are connected to previous growing operations.
“Clearly the message is that there’s at least a perceived comfort zone by these folks to grow more and more on public land,” he said. “We hope that we can at least contain some of this activity.”
This is the second marijuana growing operation to be raided in a local park within the past three months. In July, East Bay Regional Parks police raided an operation in a remote area of Las Trampas Regional Park and confiscated over 3,300 plants worth more than $1 million. Like the Las Trampas grow, suspects at Mount Diablo tapped into the park’s natural water system and used spring water to irrigate their plants.
“We have had other grows around Mount Diablo but they were in county jurisdiction,” said Jimmy Lee, director of public affairs for the County Sheriff. “I cannot address the question of any increase in marijuana grows in state parks as we do not track that. As far as our cases there has not been any increase.”
Although Gaebert could not speculate about trends in marijuana growing operations, he suspected the recent sightings and subsequent busts are a result of the “law of averages.”
“There’s more successful growing going on than is being discovered. We had a grow last year, there’s a grow this year. This is obviously more than we’ve had in previous years,” he said, adding that a longer rainy season might be a reason behind increased growing rates.
While scientists investigate the impact of the operation on Mount Diablo’s environment, crews will continue to clean up residue at an unknown cost to the state and county.
“We still have a mess to clean up. There’s piping, trash, encampments, food, just a real mess that’s going to take quite a cleanup effort,” Gaebert said. “We know there’s a lot of damage to the natural resources and the extent of that has yet to be determined.”
The sooner we legalize pot, the quicker the most dangerous aspect of the drug will disappear.
Mike
What is the most dangerous aspect of the drug Mike?
Pete,
Death related to the fight to control its manufacture and sale.
Mike
its a plant the only reason its legal is the stupid govenment and their 10 percent
In related news: Pot prices unaffected, still widely available, estimated street value of bust completely useless.
Thank you so much! I appreciate it when my tax dollars are not used to keep drunk drivers from destroying families, but instead used to protect me from people on couches stuffing twinkies in their mouths.
Lease the land and tax the product.
This is a straight-up cash cow just waiting to be milked!
Mike
Will all you anything goes liberals explain why it’s ok to smoke pot where you like but not cigars or cigarettes? Double standard or just hypocrisy?
Steve,
I’m not an “anything-goes” liberal and I certainly couldn’t speak for anyone who is, but I would expect the same laws to apply equally to both substances.
Mike
Dumb and Dummer, Redux: An argument between Steve and Mike. Oh goodie!!!
Sherri,
Gratuitous rudeness adds nothing to the discussion but a confirmation of the author’s immaturity.
Mike
Also, immature discussion confirms gratuitous rudeness.
Sherry,
The logic of your statement escapes me.
Immature means undeveloped. How can an undeveloped discussion be rude?
A rude author is immature because he has not developed the skill to express himself in an intelligent way.
Mike
Logic presupposes intelligence. Poster lacks intelligence. Therefore, how can poster be logical? An illogical author is unintelligent because he has not learned how to be logical. Nope. No tautologies here. Just a sack of flour with private definitions and illogical conclusions. Good for advertising jingles, maybe.
Sherry,
That qualifies as a meltdown.
What say we return to the topic. Do you feel that pot smoking laws would or should differ from cigarette smoking laws?
Mike
I’m against. There is no indisputable evidence that second-hand marijuana is harmful to children or anyone else who might be in a restaurant or Fish House. The science just isn’t there yet. Also, I like the new water cigarettes. And tobacco flavored gum. Not so much chewing tobacco.
My two cents!
I think that the smoking of both should have the same laws governing them. That said, both products can be vaporized and not cause any harmful or annoying second hand smoke to the people around. In fact they can barley be noticed.
The Gov. should grow and distribute pot and keep the money to fix our budget / deficit. The profit being made by the private sector is unreal and the regulations on how it is grown and what is in it have no guidelines. Not to mention it can save lives on officers approaching a grow operation. Just like moonshine many years ago
If THC is considered a drug than it can only be available through your local pharmacy. Illegal drugs with no approved medical use–such as heroin and marijuana–are under the jurisdiction of the Drug Enforcement Administration3. FDA assists DEA in deciding how stringent DEA controls should be on drugs that are medically accepted but that have a strong potential for abuse. DEA establishes limits on the amount of these prescription drugs that are permitted to be manufactured each year.
Agreed Peter! There is a government conspiracy a foot to deprive us of our Constitutional Rights to live life the way it best fits us. THC and marijuana are so different, and the government tries to tell us that one is better than the other.
Peter,
If pot were legalized, then wouldn’t it be reclassified into an uncontrolled substance and released from DEA jurisdiction?
Mike
Mike,
It is already an uncontrolled substance and you can see what a problem it is. I agree that there are those who benefit from this drug; however it must be controlled and prescribed by a licensed physician and lab. By doing so the person(s) who are taking this drug will be somewhat assured that it is pure, grown in a controlled facility, and available only by prescription. Even so we will still have the illegal distribution and use in this country. So many people will be hurt and have been hurt or killed using this drug
Okay, now I get it! If pot is legalized, then it won’t be illegal anymore. Then the DEA won’t have to go after pot growers and users because it will be legal. Whether it is controllable or not depends on who is controlling it. Think about it!
Tony,
In a democracy, that would be the public – ultimately, that is. If the public votes to legalize pot, then the DEA would be relieved of its jurisdictional responsibilities and, I might add, criminal organization involvement would be neutralized.
Using prohibition as a model might be a time saver in this discussion.
Mike
Hopefully our state will legalize pot in 2012. If you want to grow it, you can do it in your own backyard or land, without ruining precious wildlife and the rest of the environment which usually happens with these large scale outdoor grows. It would also be good to know we would basically put cartels out of business since over 60% of their revenue is generated through marijuana. No revenue from marijuana = no funds to buy all the weapons and manufacture THE REAL DRUGS THAT KILL PEOPLE AND RUIN LIVES. Also as mentioned before, marijuana is a gold mine. Whether you choose to believe it or not, legalizing marijuana could potentially bring our state out of debt–well, it most likely would.
The other reason I have chosen to make my first ever post on this website is the blatant ignorance associated with marijuana. The government and media keep this plant illegal by brainwashing the public into believing “it’s a gateway drug” and convincing them its the most dangerous drug out there–“your kids are probably smoking marijuana without you knowing!!”. I will say that I would rather my kid is puffing on some bud than getting hooked up cigarettes and chew; you know, drugs that actual have dangerous, health-diminishing side affects.
People who are anti-pot need to stop being sheep and ignorantly preaching that pot should remain illegal because they ate an edible one time in college and it made them couch-locked and pass out. The younger, pro-marijuana generation is pro-legalization because they know it’s not dangerous like “The War on Drugs” set out to instill in peoples heads(which it successfully did). They understand, and know there has been research conducted that marijuana can be used in a recreational way without any side affects whatsoever(vaporized or edibles for example).
If you plan on attempting to keep pot illegal, I urge you to educate yourself before you regurgitate your fake/false information regarding pot.
I am a republican by the way, before you go spewing your “stupid liberal” replies.
This is why it should be legal. Get these people out of our parks.