Monday, Jul 31, 2006
On July 5th, a California Highway Patrol (CHP) helicopter crew on a routine flight discovered a large marijuana cultivation complex within the park above the Whiskey Creek arm of Whiskeytown Lake. From July 25th to July 27th, Pacific West Region special agents, PWR’s SETT 3 (US Park Police), rangers from Whiskeytown and Redwood, and personnel from several other federal, state and local law enforcement organizations conducted reconnaissance and raids on the adjoining complexes and provided for public safety in the area. Officers seized 26,214 plants (47,233 with male plants included) with an estimated street value of over $500 million, based on ONDCP figures. About 40% of the plants contained buds and were removed by helicopter, filling a ten yard dump truck. The remaining plants had not yet budded and were destroyed in the field. Two suspects were located in the complexes and pursued by helicopter and three field teams but were not captured. Investigations and directed patrols by Whiskeytown rangers, SETT 3 and NPS special agents are ongoing (as of July 28th) in an effort to capture the suspects. The three encampments found in the complexes contained large quantities of fertilizer and pesticides, car batteries, food, garbage, personal belongings and .380 caliber pistol ammunition. Nearly 10% of the park, including two main roads and a park office, were closed for three days for public and employee safety due to their close proximity to the cultivation sites. Also participating in this operation were personnel from the Shasta County Sheriff’s Office marijuana eradication and SWAT teams, CHP’s patrol aviation unit, CALMMET (a northern California drug task force), the California National Guard’s counter-drug unit (Team Wolf), the California Bureau of Narcotics Enforcement, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and CAMP (Campaign Against Marijuana Planting). CAMP and SWAT personnel entered the area by helicopter short-haul while NPS and Team Wolf personnel hiked over five miles each day in rugged terrain into the sites to conduct security and eradication tasks. One officer in the operation sustained a minor knee injury while hiking, and two others were treated for early onset heat exhaustion due to high temperatures that reached 114 degrees. This is the largest seizure of cultivated marijuana this year on NPS lands.
|
