U.S. Arrests Over 100 for Illegal Marijuana Cultivation

In the Mendocino National Forest in northern California, police have arrested more than 100 people for illegal marijuana cultivation at 56 different growing sites. They also seized over 1,500 pounds of processed marijuana, 11 vehicles, and 32 guns. The growers use armed guards to protect the growing site, making it a dangerous place for the public to camp, hike, and fish. Authorities also said that they tore down almost half a million marijuana plants.

The 900,000 acre National Forest is one area in California that is known as the Emerald Triangle because of its high number of plots that grow marijuana. The raids occur every year and are part of a statewide campaign to remove marijuana plots from public land.

While marijuana is legal for medical use with a prescription in California and you can grow it if you have a permit to do so, Tom Allman, the Sheriff of Mendocino County said that there was no indication that any of these plots were being used to grow medical marijuana.

Melinda Hagg, a U.S. Attorney said that 25 of those who were arrested in the last two weeks are facing charges at the federal level. She said in a statement to Associated Press that “The Mendocino National Forest is under attack by drug traffickers.”

The National Forest is often a popular area for clandestine growers because it is so remote. Many officials for the California Forest Service have expressed their concern about how the cultivation of marijuana has been detrimental to the environment in the Mendocino National Forest. During the raid, law enforcement removed 57 pounds of pesticide, 2,171 pounds of fertilizer, 23 tons of trash, and over 22 miles of irrigation pipe. The crude irrigation systems have damaged the rivers and forestland. There were also more than a dozen man-made dams that were torn down.

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