Last week we completed several investigations into illegal marijuana cultivations in the Round Valley area. I received a lot of telephone calls regarding these investigations. Some folks were complaining while others were extremely thankful. I wanted to take a few minutes to explain what we are dealing with.
For many years, illegal marijuana cultivation has become a problem which violent criminals are drawn to. Like a moth to a flame, subjects who commit armed robberies are often drawn to our illegal marijuana sites. These folks also bring extreme violence and hard drugs including methamphetamine, fentanyl, and heroin. We are also finding persons who are victims of human and labor trafficking.
Several years ago, I met with several Northern California Sheriffs regarding the violence, human trafficking, drug trafficking organizations and environmental degradation we were seeing in illegal marijuana grow sites throughout Northern California. We began a partnership realizing that we were all facing the same issues at a time when we are all facing personnel shortages.
This partnership has allowed us to concentrate on the most egregious violators. We were very fortunate to have Senator McGuire who assisted in this coordinated effort and was able to work with us to secure funding which helps combat these sites. This funding through the state lightened the financial load for our counties and allowed all agencies to work together investigating the worst offenses causing violence, human trafficking, and environmental degradation.
Last week we had a terrible crime occur in the Round Valley area in which a robbery of marijuana was attempted. This resulted in assaults with deadly weapons, a vehicle pursuit and crash, gun fire and violent assaults. These are the type of crimes which we continue to see with the illegal marijuana trade.
We were able to arrest the suspects in this case, however they were badly beaten by residents in the area. One of the suspects was released to a hospital due to major injuries, while the other suspect, who was on federal parole, is currently in custody with the federal prison system and awaiting charges in Mendocino County. These are the crimes which continue to endanger neighborhoods. These are the reasons we are continuing to investigate illegal cultivations.
Thanks to the previously mentioned partnerships, the Mendocino County Sheriff’s Office collaborated with the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office regarding illegal cannabis being cultivated in Round Valley. We utilized air assets for overflights identifying numerous cannabis cultivation sites throughout the valley.
In collaboration with partnering agencies, further investigations into the properties identified during overflights continued. A total of 18 locations were ultimately chosen to be targeted for search warrants based on several factors. The locations had an overwhelming amount of illegal cannabis being grown, were not county or state licensed and/or appeared to also have environmental impact crimes taking place. These lands were identified as being private properties, as well as state and tribal lands.
Based on the number of sites as well as the overwhelming amount of marijuana being cultivated at these locations, we requested even more assistance from allied agencies. The following agencies assisted in the enforcement effort: Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office, Mendocino County Sheriff’s Office, Trinity County Sheriff’s Office, Siskiyou County Sheriff’s Office who took the primary investigations role, along with the California Department of Fish & Wildlife (including environmental scientist staff), California Department of Cannabis Control (DCC), California Department of Water Quality and EPIC (formerly known as CAMP). We executed the 18 search warrants over a two-day period.
During the search warrant services, numerous subjects were detained. In addition, many others were observed fleeing the locations from these large scale grow sites.
Now please think about these numbers. In two days, we were able to eradicate a total of 62,117 marijuana plants. A total of 31,284 pounds of processed marijuana was also located. There were three illegal AR-15 style rifles (Ghost Guns) and an illegal short barreled rifle located within the grow sites. Illegal pesticides (Carbofuran and Methamidophos) were also located on several properties and appeared to be used in the illegal cultivation of marijuana.
We, along with the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office, are preparing criminal cases that will be sent to the District Attorney’s Office for charging considerations.
Let me be clear about this, we will continue to investigate these crimes and will continue to charge the violators. For every person who complains regarding the enforcement, we receive calls of gratitude from many others including our elders and people raising children who have been afraid to simply walk through their neighborhoods. Therefore, we will continue to investigate these crimes and work towards safety in our rural areas.
To all the folks who have reached out to my office with gratitude for this work, you are welcome and thank you for your support in this endeavor. We will keep after this until such time our communities are again safe.
Be First to Comment