Marijuana.com

PotShot

Mexican Drug Lords In Area National Forests?
ABC7 | 9/17/06

Sept. 17 - KGO - Earlier this week, law enforcement officials busted a large marijuana operation in northern California's Klamath National Forest, an operation believed to be tied to Mexican drug lords. What's luring Mexican drug cartels to America's national forests?
We accompanied law enforcement agents on a massive bust of a marijuana growing operation in northern California this week. In two days sheriff's deputies, the FBI and others seized 25,000 marijuana plants weighing more than six tons with a street value of $125 million. They also seized evidence linking the operation to Mexican drug traffickers, but the growers got away.

Rick Riggins, Siskiyou County Sheriff Dept.: "These guys work up there seven days a week. They live up there, so these guys are in very good shape, they have their exits all planned."

But there may be a break in the case. The Siskiyou County Sheriff's Department now says it has seven illegal aliens in custody. They were discovered by local residents just a few miles from the pot farms. So far this year California's justice department has eradicated 1.2 million marijuana plants worth nearly $5 billion, mostly on public land such as national forests.

Scott McGregor, U.S. Attorney, Eastern California District: "Literally without exception in terms of these very large groves on the federal public lands over the last three years, every one of them, in terms of the suspects we've caught, the evidence that has led us to who we believe the perpetrators were, involved Mexican nationals."

In California, the number of plants seized in marijuana gardens has doubled in just two years. Mexican methamphetamine traffickers are using proceeds from that business to diversify into marijuana. Among the consequences of the pot farms is devastating environmental damage from deforestation, trash and irrigation systems.

John Gaines, Calif. Bureau of Narcotics Enforcement: "These are all damage to our natural resources that our citizens shouldn't have to put up with from this occupying force of foreigners coming in here and taking over our land."

As the marijuana gardens grow in size and law enforcement efforts intensify agents say traffickers are becoming more violent and are a significant threat to recreational users of our national parks and forests.

The FBI is still looking for hard evidence that the seven illegal aliens in custody in Siskiyou County are linked to the marijuana growing operations. ICE says if there's not enough evidence they'll be deported, possibly within a day or two.

Copyright 2006, ABC7/KGO-TV/DT.