Thread: 20-acre marijuana grove south of Fresno raided

20-acre marijuana grove south of Fresno raided

By Eddie Jimenez / The Fresno Bee
Thursday, Sep. 22, 2011 | 11:59 AM

Law-enforcement officers ripped out more than 4,000 marijuana plants Thursday during a raid of a grove south of Fresno, the latest large-scale bust in the growing trend of pot farms on the Valley floor.

Thursday's operation, which began about 6:40 a.m., was prompted by neighbor complaints about the grove – estimated to cover about 20 acres – near the northwest corner of Central and Valentine avenues, said John Donnelly, a U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration special agent.

Some of the marijuana plants were more than 12 feet high, he said. Medical marijuana recommendation letters from physicians were posted at the grove.

A federal warrant was served Thursday morning to people living on the property in tents and makeshift structures, though no arrests were made, Donnelly said. Elevated towers apparently designed for lookouts were within the grove, he said.

The raid and marijuana destruction were a combined effort by the DEA and the Fresno County Sheriff's Office, Donnelly said.

Investigation will continue in the case, which will be turned over to the U.S. Attorney's Office in Fresno, he said.

Illegal marijuana farming has been moving from the Sierra foothills and mountains to the Valley floor, law enforcement officials say. They suspect it has something to do with California's controversial medical marijuana law.

The theory is that growers, facing increased law enforcement pressure, have headed to the Valley because of the opportunity to grow black-market marijuana disguised as medical marijuana, which is legal.

Authorities often find medical marijuana recommendation letters posted at the perimeter of big grows.

Narcotics detectives believe drug traffickers are in charge of some large grow sites.

Officials think a Mexican cartel might have been behind a big farm they raided in August west of Goshen, where Tulare County deputies found pot fields – some plants were said to be 20 feet tall.

In July, Fresno County deputies and federal agents raided a 54-acre marijuana plantation near Sanger, confiscating 30,000 plants ranging from a few inches to 6 feet tall – all labeled as medical marijuana.

That site did not appear linked to Mexican drug cartels because the suspects were Laotian, officials said.

http://www.fresnobee.com/2011/09/22/254 ... z1YoXvOzST

Both ICE and ATF have high-tec infrared scanners that can pick up marijuana plant radiation from miles away from in the air.

I don't understand how these marijuana fields can get this huge without being easily detected.

There is LOTS of money involved in hiding these giant marijuana fields.