LOS ANGELES — Nearly 68,500 pot plants valued at
$205.46 million were eradicated after the discovery last week in the
rugged mountains north of Ojai in Southern California, according to a
sheriff’s statement. No suspects were arrested.
So far this year, more than 100,000 marijuana plants have been eradicated.
Sheriff’s investigators initially found several large plots on the north slope of Pine Mountain south of Lockwood Valley Road.
Investigators were airlifted to other sites on the
mountain where they discovered several campsites used by the growers
that included tents, propane stoves, sleeping bags, fertilizers,
pesticides and “an enormous amount of trash.”
They also discovered a 9mm handgun, a .22 caliber
rifle and ammunition for a variety of other handguns and rifles, Ventura
County Sheriff’s officials said.
They noted there was “evidence of poaching” near the
campsite including remains of deer and other small animals. Several
water reservoirs, lined with plastic tarps, were found dug into the
terrain.
Several thousand feet of irrigation hose had been
spread throughout the hillside to provide water to the plants on “huge
sections” of terraced land. Bags of fertilizer, pesticides and poisons
were also found within each of the cultivation areas.
The Ventura County Fire Department, Oxnard Police Department and the U.S. Forest Service also participated in the operation.
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