Pubdate: Fri, 16 May 2014 Source: Visalia Times-Delta, The (CA) Copyright: 2014 The Visalia Times-Delta Contact: http://www.visaliatimesdelta.com/customerservice/contactus.html Website: http://www.visaliatimesdelta.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/2759 Author: Eric Woomer MARIJUANA SEASON BEGINS For law enforcement in Tulare County, this could be one of the longest marijuana seasons ever. Typically, marijuana growing season begins in April and ends in October. But with less rain, more sun and a growing demand for marijuana on the Valley floor and nationwide, law enforcement is seeing more people with larger grow sites in Tulare County. On Thursday, three days after an aerial surveillance team found more than 300 grow sites, a task force of Tulare County Sheriff's deputies stormed two homes outside the Visalia and Tulare areas. From the air, deputies knew the sites were large, but once they pounced, they located more than 1,600 plants in the ground and more than 50 pounds of processed marijuana. Investigators, led by Lt. Tom Sigley and Sgt. Kevin Kemmerling, found several guns and arrested more than half a dozen men and women. Sigley said the team hit the homes after children had left. He said children are often home when law enforcement arrives. "We prioritized the grow sites. This was a priority not only because of the size, but because of the violence that can come from marijuana grows on the Valley floor," Sigley said. "Growing season this year will be as long as they need it to be. It means more work for us. This is what we are getting complaints on, it's not the people suffering from cancer with a few plants in their backyard." Sigley said that, after a rash of homicides and home invasions on land where marijuana was being grown, deputies decided to place more emphasis on local grows. Prior to 2010, most grow sites were in the mountains, where hundreds of thousands of plants were seized each year. Sigley said his team this year has eradicated 15,908 plants in Tulare County, made 34 arrests, found six weapons and $196,000 in cash. He expects those numbers to grow exponentially, as the season continues. Last year, nearly 240,000 plants were eradicated. About half of those were from public lands, where it's never legal to grow marijuana. In Tulare County, ordinances and recommendations from doctors dictate how much can be grown and where. All must be inside a structure and secured. What's driving the growers, many of whom are linked to drug cartels, down to the Valley floor is water. With very little water in the mountains this year, the easiest option has been to find the largest yard with the nearest hose bib. In the case of two families arrested on Thursday, they're accused of finding homes next to one another on Road 140 and Avenue 228 and planting nearly 900 plants on each acre lot. Sigley said the growers don't care when it comes to conserving water. They water as much as they can to keep the plants healthy and valuable. They also use plenty of fertilizer and chemicals. "People don't realize what they're smoking when they light up," Sigley said. The plants can fetch upwards of three pounds of processed marijuana bud. Each pound in Tulare County can be worth $800 to $1,200. Kemmerling, who just started with the unit after longtime STEP Sgt. Jim Franks was promoted to lieutenant earlier this year, has been off the STEP team for four years. But he's ready to take his new gig and run with it. He said he feels like he never left. He plans on talking with the STEP team members soon to talk about his expectations and goals. "We have a well-trained team and I want to continue that team environment," Kemmerling said. "It's going to be a lot of work and we are going to pull an enormous amount of plants." Kemmerling said he'd also like to address the issues surrounding doctors who hand out medical marijuana licenses. In order to grow on a larger scale, someone must have a medical marijuana recommendation and have it posted. They must also be the ones taking care of the plants and must stay under the number of plants allowed by their licenses. In most cases, that's no more than 99 plants. Sigley and Kemmerling said many people don't realize some doctors are handing out prescriptions for ailments for which medical marijuana would have no benefit. "If these doctors were legitimate, they wouldn't be issuing prescription medical marijuana for asthma patients," Sigley said. "The problem is, these doctors aren't legit. They're handing out licenses like PEZ." Marijuana stats for Tulare County * Jan. 1 - Dec. 31, 2013 * 239,829 plants eradicated * 162 arrests * 152 weapons seized * 6,000 pounds of processed marijuana found * $777,000 found at marijuana grow sites * Jan. 1 - April 30, 2014 * 15,908 plants eradicated * 34 arrests * Six weapons * $196,000 found at marijuana grow sites - --- MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom