Pubdate: Tue, 15 Nov 2005
Source: San Diego Union Tribune (CA)
Copyright: 2005 Union-Tribune Publishing Co.
Contact:  http://www.uniontrib.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/386
Note: Does not print LTEs from outside it's circulation area.
Author: Jenny Shearer, and Debbi Farr Baker, Staff Writers
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/find?115 (Cannabis - California)
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/find?420 (Cannabis - Popular)

DRUG TRAFFICKERS FIND COUNTY FERTILE GROUND

Drug traffickers have found another way to get marijuana into the 
county: They grow it locally.

Law enforcement officials said yesterday that San Diego County is 
ranked fourth in the state for the amount of pot plants seized on 
public lands, surpassing longtime pot-growing leaders Mendocino, 
Trinity and Humboldt counties.

Beefed-up security at the U.S.-Mexico border since 9/11 is one of the 
reasons so much more of the drug is being grown here, said Jack Hook, 
assistant special agent in charge of the San Diego Drug Enforcement 
Administration.

He said it is easier for Mexican nationals to grow marijuana locally 
than to try to smuggle it across the border.

County Supervisor Bill Horn said being fourth in the state, behind 
Shasta, Lake and Tulare counties, was a dubious distinction.

"This is one area we don't want to lead the state in. Commerce is 
fine, but not in the production of marijuana," he said.

Much of the pot seized on public lands is in less-populated areas of 
North County and East County, such as Palomar Mountain, the Cleveland 
National Forest, Campo and Julian, Hook said.

"This has proven to be an effective (eradication) program over time," 
DEA spokesman Misha Piastro said. "The numbers of seizures of plants, 
assets, as well as arrests, are going to fluctuate. It's the nature 
of the narcotics enforcement business. It all depends on where 
investigations lead us."

More than 275,000 plants and nearly $3 million in assets were seized 
in 2004, and more than 270,000 plants and $525,000 in assets were 
seized in 2003, Piastro said.

Finding and removing marijuana plantations involves several agencies, 
including law enforcement, the National Guard, the U.S. Forest 
Service and the Bureau of Land Management.

Because the plantations are on public land, they may be found by 
people who are out enjoying nature. Officials said those who come 
across illegal crops should immediately notify park rangers or 
authorities and stay away from the plants, which are often protected 
by booby traps and people with guns.

There are also economic and environmental impacts. Growers steal 
water and electricity, use dangerous pesticides and clear land of 
native plants to conduct their illegal activity.

The DEA has found that many plantations are guarded by Mexican 
nationals and drug trafficking organizations.

"These gardens are worth staggering amounts of money," Piastro said.

Today's marijuana is highly addictive and "isn't the drug of the 
'60s," said Scott Burns of the Office of National Drug Control and 
Policy. He oversees the High Intensity Drug Trafficking Program at 
the White House.

The amount of the drug in marijuana   tetrahydrocannabinol, or 
THC   has increased from 1 percent to 2 percent in the 1960s to 10 
percent to 12 percent today, Burns said. Marijuana from British 
Columbia, or "BC bud," can have a THC content of 30 percent.

Of the 19.1 million drug users in the U.S., 75 percent use marijuana 
alone or in addition to other drugs, he said.

[sidebar]

THIS YEAR'S HAUL

1.1 million plants were found and destroyed statewide.

More than 178,000 plants were seized countywide.

About $2.6 million in drug-related assets were confiscated in the county.

80% of the $2.6 million is returned to state and local law 
enforcement to fund anti-drug programs.

79 people were arrested and...

169 weapons seized in the county operations. Although this year's 
haul of confiscated plants is less than in previous years, officials 
said it is still significant.
- ---
MAP posted-by: Richard Lake