5 Acre Marijuana Farm Found and Destroyed in Redwood National Park
On Wednesday a 5 acre marijuana farm located in Redwood National Park was raided by over 60 park rangers and other cooperating law enforcement officials. The farm was located less than six miles away from the world’s tallest tree. It is the first major marijuana growing operation to have been found in the well-known park.
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The marijuana farm was located near an area known as Redwood Creek and contained an estimated 9,564 plants. They were immediately chopped down and removed by helicopter. A drug operation such as this one can be very hazardous to the environment as chemicals and fertilizers can significantly pollute park habitats. In a press release the National Park Service explained that “a graphic information system specialist went in with the raid teams for the first time in NPS history to perform an immediate evaluation of the impacts to natural resources during the raid. This documentation will be very beneficial for the restoration process.”
The plants growing on the illegal drug farm were estimated to be worth about $35 million dollars. The operation was first seen by an airplane flying above several weeks ago, and consequently the park’s staff was notified promptly. It is unclear for how long the farm had been operating.
Several Mexican citizens, 4 men and a woman, have been detained by law enforcement officials for questioning and are possibly connected to the operation. On the same day as the raid in the park, law enforcement officials also carried out several additional raids on growing operations nearby. Illegal drug operations are becoming increasingly more common in the U.S. inside and near national parks and forests. Raids are becoming a necessity.
An article published several days ago in USA Today quoted the director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy as saying that 75%-80% of marijuana grown outdoors is on state or federal land. Mexican drug cartels are thought to be increasingly responsible for these illegal operations in national parks and on other protected lands. Smuggling drugs across the U.S.-Mexico border has become more challenging for them.
Other national parks where large marijuana farms have also recently been found and shut-down include North Cascades National Park in Washington and Sequoia National Park in California.
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Photo Credit: Michael Schweppe on Flickr under a Creative Commons license
Wether we agree that MJ should or shouldnt be leagalized is beside the point of the article. I have seen the damage first hand, that illegal growing operations do to MY (and your) forests. The trash, fertilizers, erosion, and…Oh yeah guys carrying guns! But Im sure it for self protection.
Granted, legalization would solve this problem. But in the mean time, I’d rather not have to worry about encounters with these folks when I want to take a hike.
Horrible.. I could have smoked that pot
“Raids are becoming a necessity” assumes that it is necessary to bust the sale and distribution of marijuana. It’s a harmless drug–rethink “necessity.”
I do, however, commiserate with the notion that farming one-crop marijuana in this national park may have reduced the natural biodiversity in the park or threatened species…
ITT: potheads pissing & moaning
I say impose the dead penalty on those caught in these raids. That’ll teach em’. Unless there are serious repercussions for this type of illegal activity then the fuckers will continue to do it. What pisses me off is some of these people defend these areas they plant on with firearms. As if they have dominion over them, as if they have sovereignty. That’s clear grounds to fire at will in my book. Shipping their asses back over the border clearly isn’t working, and imprisonment is only a bigger drag on the economy.
To the dumbass that said it wouldn’t be a problem if it were legal. It’s illegal for a reason, it’s extremely addictive and destroys peoples lives and the lives of those around them. The government could give a shit less about what you do on your time, but when it has a chain reaction that affects the entire nation, it becomes their problem. It is a poison of the mind and a poison of the nation that puts a burden on everyone. I shouldn’t have to pay your fucking welfare because you chose to get shit faced and smoke pot instead of going to school. And I’m working on my degree, so don’t anyone dare call me a hypocrite.
Furthermore, since these cartels seem hell bent on desecrating our national forests and sanctuarys, intimidating the residents of small towns, and selling pot to our children. We should suspend all trade and immigration with Mexico until they have dealt with the problem, indefinitely.
N6MIW said “I agree with all of the replies to AKA. We need to legalize marijuana. I like the fact that my teenage daughter (now 18) hangs out with her friends and listens to records or MP3s…they could be doing much worse things. They stay out of trouble. She is an honor role student and a great speaker to the public.”
And you would be willing to have it legalized and convey the message that it’s “okay” for your daughter to smoke it?
Almost Speechless, don’t cite tobacco and alcohol related deaths. Marijuana may or may not be less dangerous than tabacco or alcohol but tobacco and alcohol doesn’t cause people to loose control of their motor skills or induce psychoactive affects, when used in moderation at least. But then again you can get high simply by breathing too fast.
I for one don’t want to waste my tax dollars funding a drug war that does not exist.
What a waste.
2 obvious lessons here:
1) Illegal aliens are a much bigger menace than the open-borders lobby wants us to believe, and we need to get serious stopping unsustainable immigration, which is no longer just a theoretical threat to the redwoods.
2) Marijuana is not entirely “harmless” but its prohibition is stupid.
Leave that pot alone!
One question for all you pot-heads out there, why do it? It has become the most laughable question I have ever heard answered by a drug addict. I say the same question to alcoholics and all other forms of “disorders of society” that you can come up with from your withering minds. It is illegal in the United States, get over it. Move out if you don’t like it. Not a single one of you people has a right to even begin to complain or even hold a half-hearted arguement. But then again, I guess the pot you smoke is saving you from cancer, or whatever bullshit you cook up while you’re high. I make it a point in my life to look down at the pitifulness that is your addiction. I’d rather give money to a bum so he can get alcohol then give it to some punk-ass who can’t seem to understand his own place in the world. I’m pretty sure every retard here was taught what “No” means. That’s why you don’t see an alcoholic saying anything on these forums. He knows he’s doing something wrong. Maybe your moralities will kick back in 20 years from now, if you haven’t imploded from such ignorance. Good day children and adults who will never grow up. May you find substance in yourselves someday.
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I think you all can answer this for yourself. That and because I feel I’ve wasted enough of my time on this ethical cleansing of retardation.
All that weed… what a shame.