FruityBud
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- Jun 21, 2007
- Messages
- 2,294
- Reaction score
- 3,399
CHELAN COUNTY, Wash. -- Some 15,000 to 20,000 pot plants are history, hacked down on Tuesday during a surprise raid.
The plants were found about a half mile deep in the woods near the small town of Merritt. The place was hard to see by air, even harder by foot with down slopes three times as steep as those found on the streets of downtown Seattle. But there was no fooling the law.
"We're sneaking into territory they have been working in for weeks and months," said Lee Rishon, Chelan County SWAT Team member as law enforcement officials prepared to move in on Tuesday.
Deputies say the grow has all the markings of the Mexican cartel.
"They'll start them out just like you do your tomato plants at home -- little 2, 3-inchers as soon as the weather starts to break. The final product here is $1,500 per plant," said Lt. Jerry Moore with Chelan County Sheriff's Office.
Street value of the grow is about $30 million.
"They go out of their way and find some of the most unbelievable locations. We've seen them grow on the side of a cliff where you would swear a mountain goat couldn't get to," said Lt. Rich Wiley with Washington State Patrol.
If you think the grower of the marijuana could have been in trouble with the police, think of how much trouble he's in with the Mexican cartel for not defending it. But not even tracking dogs lifted in by helicopter could find the growers.
Dogs and deputies did find the camp. They found cheese and frozen meat. They also found bud in a back pack, a .22 rifle, cans of chili and batteries used to charge a cell phone. Deputies believe five men had been staying there but ran when police arrived.
With the suspects long gone, search dog Gordon was harnessed and hauled away by a helicopter.
But the deputies stayed behind, hacking away at row after row of marijuana plants that were to be flown out and destroyed.
Earlier this month authorities busted another massive marijuana growing operation near Mabton, southeast of Yakima. Several thousand plants were found in a drying shed, and authorities believed some 20,000 plants were involved in the operation.
Prior to this month's busts, drug agents in Yakima County had already had pulled up 54,000 marijuana plants.
hxxp://tinyurl.com/5lzk24
The plants were found about a half mile deep in the woods near the small town of Merritt. The place was hard to see by air, even harder by foot with down slopes three times as steep as those found on the streets of downtown Seattle. But there was no fooling the law.
"We're sneaking into territory they have been working in for weeks and months," said Lee Rishon, Chelan County SWAT Team member as law enforcement officials prepared to move in on Tuesday.
Deputies say the grow has all the markings of the Mexican cartel.
"They'll start them out just like you do your tomato plants at home -- little 2, 3-inchers as soon as the weather starts to break. The final product here is $1,500 per plant," said Lt. Jerry Moore with Chelan County Sheriff's Office.
Street value of the grow is about $30 million.
"They go out of their way and find some of the most unbelievable locations. We've seen them grow on the side of a cliff where you would swear a mountain goat couldn't get to," said Lt. Rich Wiley with Washington State Patrol.
If you think the grower of the marijuana could have been in trouble with the police, think of how much trouble he's in with the Mexican cartel for not defending it. But not even tracking dogs lifted in by helicopter could find the growers.
Dogs and deputies did find the camp. They found cheese and frozen meat. They also found bud in a back pack, a .22 rifle, cans of chili and batteries used to charge a cell phone. Deputies believe five men had been staying there but ran when police arrived.
With the suspects long gone, search dog Gordon was harnessed and hauled away by a helicopter.
But the deputies stayed behind, hacking away at row after row of marijuana plants that were to be flown out and destroyed.
Earlier this month authorities busted another massive marijuana growing operation near Mabton, southeast of Yakima. Several thousand plants were found in a drying shed, and authorities believed some 20,000 plants were involved in the operation.
Prior to this month's busts, drug agents in Yakima County had already had pulled up 54,000 marijuana plants.
hxxp://tinyurl.com/5lzk24
