Pubdate: Sat, 09 Jul 2011
Source: Porterville Recorder (CA)
Copyright: 2011 Freedom Communications Inc.
Contact: http://www.recorderonline.com/sections/editor-form/
Website: http://www.recorderonline.com
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/2887
Author: Denise Madrid

POT HARVEST HITS MID-SEASON

The middle of the growing season for Tulare County's leading cash crop is here.

In 2010, the Tulare County Sheriff's Department seized nearly $1.67 
billion worth of marijuana, slightly outdoing $1.6 billion in revenue 
fetched the same year by the dairy industry, the county's top commodity.

And although the late rain and snow season have delayed this year's 
harvest, local officials are bracing for what they foresee will be a 
larger marijuana crop than in years prior.

According to Lt. Tom Sigley with the Sheriff's Tactical Enforcement 
Personnel (STEP) unit -- the primary team for pursuing illegal 
marijuana traffickers in the county -- so far this year authorities 
have already eradicated 39,737 plants and seized 18 weapons.

Approximately 36,000 of those plants, Sigley said, were eradicated 
from a mountain grow on Bureau of Land Management land in the 
Springville area on June 29.

The outdoor marijuana growing season used to run from April through 
September, but with new varieties of the plant, the season has 
expanded from February through November, Sigley said.

In a final report issued July 2 by the Tulare County grand jury, 
jurors found that seeds for some crops grown locally in illegal 
marijuana gardens come from Afghanistan and are bred to "bud" as many 
as three or four times per year, with a growing cycle of as little as 
three months.

To prepare for the marijuana trade season, the STEP unit utilizes 
other narcotics units and a newly formed team of deputies from the 
Detention Division to assist with plant eradication.

The teams also conduct regular flights to locate sites, which are 
commonly found on public lands.

"There are thousands and thousands of acres of public lands available 
for these grows," Sigley said. "They are usually very remote in 
location and the climate and water for these types of illicit 
activities are prime."

Growers, he added, choose Tulare County because of its generous water 
supply and the area's Mediterranean climate.

Hikers, hunters, ranchers and farmers who stumble upon the lush 
gardens and the garbage they breed are usually the first to contact 
authorities.

Sites typically have miles of black plastic hose stretched across the 
grounds for water supply and heaps of trash scattered in forested areas.

People may encounter "stash" areas where plants are cut and stored 
away from the grow sites, rerouted natural water resources, tarps, 
isolated tents or camping trailers in the forest where no 
recreational activity is present, garden tools and fertilization bags 
among a list of other things.

These grow sites may pose risks to the general public, as they are 
commonly tended to by members of various Mexican drug cartels and are 
often protected by armed guards, Sigley said.

"If people should come across any of these signs, they should mark it 
on their GPS, if available, and immediately leave the area and 
contact the Sheriff's Department," he noted.

According to Sigley, in 2010 the Sheriff's Department eradicated 78 
different mountain grow sites, made 32 arrests for the plant's 
illegal cultivation on public lands, and seized 417,687 plants and 23 weapons.

On average, growers caught for cultivation face 30 to 60 days of 
local jail time, and six months to one year for mountain cultivation. 
When charged federally, offenders face "significantly longer 
sentences," Sigley said.

Additionally, in 2010 authorities also contacted 237 grow sites on 
the Valley floor, all claiming medical necessity.

He said there are teams who try and keep up with compliance checks on 
"hundreds of backyard medical marijuana grows and are aggressively 
trying to bring them into compliance."

To do this, the teams use code enforcement, zoning and other local 
departments to assist with any other violations, he said.
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom