Pubdate: Thu, 30 Oct 2003
Source: San Jose Mercury News (CA)
Copyright: 2003 San Jose Mercury News
Contact:  http://www.bayarea.com/mld/mercurynews
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/390
Author: Howard Mintz

MARIJUANA SEIZURES SOAR, BUT FEWER PLANTS FOUND HERE

California authorities this year have seized record amounts of marijuana 
crops growing on pot farms in all corners of the state, but Silicon Valley 
apparently is no longer a haven for the secret harvests.

The state's annual Campaign Against Marijuana Planting, or CAMP, netted 
nearly $2 billion in marijuana plants, a dramatic jump over past years that 
reflects what law enforcement officials say are increasingly aggressive 
Mexican drug cartels growing the crop in secluded public areas such as the 
Sequoia National Forest.

``This shows the skyrocketing numbers of large plantations,'' Attorney 
General Bill Lockyer said during a news conference in San Jose.

Santa Clara County, where authorities two years ago found more marijuana 
growing than just about anywhere in California, was well down the list of 
trouble spots this season. Tulare County, the target earlier this month of 
a major raid in the steep, remote hills of an Indian reservation, topped 
the state's list this year, with more than 140,000 marijuana plants 
confiscated.

Overall, the CAMP program seized more than 466,000 plants, 100,000 more 
than last year. Authorities seized more than 6,000 plants each in Santa 
Cruz and Monterey counties, more than 5,000 in Santa Clara, and more than 
1,500 in San Mateo.

California's traditional marijuana-growing region of Humboldt, Trinity and 
Mendocino counties, known as the Emerald Triangle, is no longer the only 
favored spot of marijuana growers, at least on an annual basis. While 
Mendocino was third in seizures, large farms are now dotting other counties 
such as Shasta, Kern and even Napa's wine country.

In a new trend, 75 percent of marijuana farms found by state authorities 
were on public lands, as marijuana growers have turned to planting in 
forests meant for hikers and campers.
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MAP posted-by: Larry Stevens