Authorities seize $800M worth of pot in Northern California (Operation Full Court Press)

Mercury news ^ | 8/10/11 | AP

[NormsRevenge]

UKIAH -- An estimated $800 million worth of marijuana has been seized following a massive raid on illegal grows on public lands deep in Northern California's pot country, authorities said Tuesday.

...

Several Mexican-based drug trafficking organizations were behind the illegal grows, Department of Justice spokeswoman Michelle Gregory said.

In previous years, officials have blamed Mexican drug cartels for some of the state's largest growing operations, but Gregory stopped short of making that claim.

[NormsRevenge]

.. seized more than 632,000 marijuana plants. .. 132 people being arrested as 118 were booked on federal and state charges and 14 were detained on immigration violations.

[P.O.E.]

Be careful all you hunters and backpackers. If you stumble upon one of these pot farms in the middle of nowhere, you might run into their security detail.

[Cboldt]

That’ll help close the CA budget gap.

[knarf]

N Cal has a "pot country" ?

How difficult can a pop be?

We'll wait a few years while they get comfortable and get some good growth happanin' ... an' POP 'em.

Shootin' fish in a barrel, eh?

[forgotten man]

We don’t need the Mexican Mafia to grow pot. Americans can do that themselves. Whether you like it or not, the voters of California voted to decriminalize and in some cases legalize marijuana. The best way to hurt the Mexican Mafia is to allow the American hippies to grow it and have the American “medical marijuana” customers to buy it legally and pay the 7.5% sales tax on it.

[rightwingextremist1776]

Yep...just like wiping out the mob violence from prohibition.

[Attention Surplus Disorder]

Wow, that could finance about 1/87th of ...LOW SPEED RAIL!

[varyouga]

Wow. Over 600,000 California outdoor plants. They can easily yield several pounds each.

The $800M figure is very conservative. It seems like law enforcement is starting to skew the numbers down as these seizures are reaching staggering amounts with no end in sight. At the beginning of the drug war, they would skew the numbers way up.

Assuming just 1lb per plant and a very low price of $10 per gram, this haul is worth almost $2.9 BILLION in end-user value. The tax potential is incredible since this plant costs less than Basil to produce.

And this is just one hidden farm probably sending profits back to Mexico. Imagine the potential if it could be grown legally by American farmers.

[glorgau]

If the feds need help burning that contraband I’m available for consultation.

[tacticalogic]

About half of those are going to be males, and not yield anything.

"Several pounds each"?

Color me skeptical.

[GLDNGUN]

Yet another classic example of how deranged the idiotic potheads on this forum and elsewhere are. Mendocino County has perhaps THE MOST LIBERAL pot laws in the country. You can buy pot "legally" all over the state. Getting a medical pot card is as easy as walking into a "preferred" doctor's office and say "I have a headache, here's $50 for a pot card". Gosh, isn't legal and readily available pot supposed to put black market growers and dealers out of business? That's what we've been told by the potheads here on FR and elsewhere.

Is that what we see?

You'd have to smoke a bale or 2 of that stuff to actually believe that. Mendocino County has a horrible problem with growers, and not just Mexican drug gangs. All kinds of people from this country have also moved there and set up shop, bringing their pit bulls and high-powered weapons, destroying neighborhoods with their pot grows. I experienced it first hand but got out of there, as many others have and continue to.

So now, Mendo County and other locations in California get to battle illegal drug gangs from Mexico AND try to deal with all of the hassles from "legal" pot growing.

And if you live in a state/area with liberal pot/growing laws, THIS is what YOU have to look forward to.

Those of you who still think legalizing using, growing, and selling dope is the answer to the "drug problem" are as delusional as those who think government handouts will end poverty.

Grow up. Seriously.

[TheOldLady]

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[going hot]

They should use some for a joint session of the heads of both state parties.

[William Tell]

GLDNGUN said: "Those of you who still think legalizing using, growing, and selling dope is the answer to the "drug problem" are as delusional as those who think government handouts will end poverty. "

The government confiscated the pot and arrested 118 people? Does that fit anybody's definition of "legal"?

Tens of thousands of people are being murdered in Mexico. Is that happening in Mendocino County?

The War on Some Drugs has now been used by the BATFE and others to subvert our Second Amendment rights. We are entering dangerous times and the war on drugs is greatly responsible.

[HiTech RedNeck]

Not to mention that, mirabile dictu, the California medpot business is actually keeping pretty well to its stated mission. All the other yahoos who want to get stoned have to buy it on the street.

[GLDNGUN]

The government confiscated the pot and arrested 118 people? Does that fit anybody's definition of "legal"?

That's right. Despite the very liberal pot laws in Mendo County, drug kingpins STILL find a way to break the law to the extent that law enforcement HAS to respond, even though they enforce the liberal pot laws with less of an urgency than issuing a jay-walking citation.

Evidently, your answer is even more hysterical and ludicrous - eliminate ALL pot laws. Let anyone and everyone grow whatever they want, whenever, however. What we see in Mendo County is just the tip of the iceberg if that were to happen. The rationale of "well, modest legalization has been a disaster and made things worse, but complete and total legalization would be the solution and make everything better" is pure, 1000% poppycock. Again, you are living in a fantasy land of epic proportions if you believe that.

Tens of thousands of people are being murdered in Mexico. Is that happening in Mendocino County?

Not yet, but it's on its way. Ask Americans who live further south on the border - it's already in their backyard.

[William Tell]

GLDNGUN said: "Not yet, but it's on its way."

So, you're for re-instating the prohibition on alcohol in order to eliminate the violence associated with bootlegging?