Whiskeytown: Several Marijuana Plantations Found And Eradicated

Whiskeytown National Recreation Area (CA)
Several Marijuana Plantations Found And Eradicated

Law enforcement rangers at Whiskeytown have been actively assisting Shasta County deputies with discovering and eradicating marijuana on public lands in and around the park. In late June, rangers assisted deputies in the eradication of over 90,000 plants. During the operation, which was primarily on Forest Service lands in Shasta County, two undocumented Mexican nationals were also arrested. In early August, rangers from Whiskeytown, Redwoods and Yosemite joined deputies and CAMP task force officers in the eradication of over 6,000 plants in the Crystal Creek drainage in Whiskeytown and another 1,700 plus plants on lands immediately adjacent to the park. During cleanup operations two weeks later, rangers found more plants in a complex not previously discovered. They returned to the area with task force members and removed more than 1,500 plants and 50 pounds of processed marijuana. Rangers utilized newly-approved helicopter short hauls to safely access these remote sites. All of the areas showed evidence of cultivation by highly organized Mexican drug cartels. Rangers continue to search for additional cultivation sites. Ranger Gary Bias was NPS lead for the operations.