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Santa Clara County sheriff's deputies eradicated five marijuana gardens growing more than 20,000 pot plants on Mount Hamilton in San Jose on Monday, putting a dent in what authorities believe is a very organized Mexican cartel operation.
If left to mature, the plants could have sold for more than $80 million, according to authorities.
So far this summer, Santa Clara County sheriff's deputies have torn down 70,000 marijuana plants with a street value of more than $300 million. Most gardens have been nestled either on Mount Hamilton in San Jose or in the Santa Cruz Mountains, where authorities say the pot growers are wreaking havoc on the environment by leaking chemicals into the soil and depleting water resources needed by other plants and animals.
Besides littering the area and cutting down vegetation to make room for the marijuana plants, pot growers have shot and maimed animals to prevent them from eating the plants, authorities say.
Last year, growers even went so far as to shoot a fish and game warden, who in turn fired back and killed two men, sheriff's Deputy Serg Palanov said today.
In 2005 authorities uprooted a total of 80,000 plants during the growing season, which runs from summer to November. With 70,000 plants already destroyed, Palanov said authorities are finding more gardens this year.
Most gardens have been located as a result of hikers tipping authorities off and from deputies canvassing the adjacent areas for additional gardens.
Three San Jose men have been arrested so far, including 52-year-old Salvador Huitron, who was taken into custody at Mount Umunhum east of Los Gatos following the discovery of 25,000 pot plants there on July 27.
Additionally, Saul Toledo, 20, and Luis Herrera, 23, were arrested while tending to 4,141 marijuana plants on a private property just off Mount Hamilton Road near the Lick Observatory in San Jose on July 8, according to the sheriff's office.
No one was arrested in Monday's bust, but Palanov said deputies seized a .22-caliber rifle at one of the gardens located about four miles east of the Lick Observatory.
One marijuana plant generates about one pound of weed worth about $4,000, Palanov said.
"We have to track them down and destroy them as we find them," he said.
Campaign Against Marijuana Planting, a multi-agency law enforcement task force, assists the sheriff's office in cleaning up the environmental pollution left behind, a costly effort that is pre-funded through grants, Palanov said.
Newshawk: SX420 - 420 Magazine
Source: SF Gate
Author: Bay City News
Copyright: 2006 by Bay City News, Inc.
Contact: feedback@sfgate.com
Website: SF Gate: News and Information for the San Francisco Bay Area
If left to mature, the plants could have sold for more than $80 million, according to authorities.
So far this summer, Santa Clara County sheriff's deputies have torn down 70,000 marijuana plants with a street value of more than $300 million. Most gardens have been nestled either on Mount Hamilton in San Jose or in the Santa Cruz Mountains, where authorities say the pot growers are wreaking havoc on the environment by leaking chemicals into the soil and depleting water resources needed by other plants and animals.
Besides littering the area and cutting down vegetation to make room for the marijuana plants, pot growers have shot and maimed animals to prevent them from eating the plants, authorities say.
Last year, growers even went so far as to shoot a fish and game warden, who in turn fired back and killed two men, sheriff's Deputy Serg Palanov said today.
In 2005 authorities uprooted a total of 80,000 plants during the growing season, which runs from summer to November. With 70,000 plants already destroyed, Palanov said authorities are finding more gardens this year.
Most gardens have been located as a result of hikers tipping authorities off and from deputies canvassing the adjacent areas for additional gardens.
Three San Jose men have been arrested so far, including 52-year-old Salvador Huitron, who was taken into custody at Mount Umunhum east of Los Gatos following the discovery of 25,000 pot plants there on July 27.
Additionally, Saul Toledo, 20, and Luis Herrera, 23, were arrested while tending to 4,141 marijuana plants on a private property just off Mount Hamilton Road near the Lick Observatory in San Jose on July 8, according to the sheriff's office.
No one was arrested in Monday's bust, but Palanov said deputies seized a .22-caliber rifle at one of the gardens located about four miles east of the Lick Observatory.
One marijuana plant generates about one pound of weed worth about $4,000, Palanov said.
"We have to track them down and destroy them as we find them," he said.
Campaign Against Marijuana Planting, a multi-agency law enforcement task force, assists the sheriff's office in cleaning up the environmental pollution left behind, a costly effort that is pre-funded through grants, Palanov said.
Newshawk: SX420 - 420 Magazine
Source: SF Gate
Author: Bay City News
Copyright: 2006 by Bay City News, Inc.
Contact: feedback@sfgate.com
Website: SF Gate: News and Information for the San Francisco Bay Area
