Tip of the iceberg? Note two growers were illegals and deported.

http://www.mymotherlode.com/News/article/kvml/1191513472

Thursday, October 04, 2007 - 10:00 AM

Bill Johnson
MML News Director
Yosemite National Park, CA -- Approximately 30 law enforcement officers from the Mariposa County Sheriff's Office, the U.S. Forest Service, CAMP and Yosemite eradicated 14,536 marijuana plants (valued at $43 million) in four illegal grows the last week of September.

Three of the cultivation sites were located on the Sierra National Forest-Yosemite National Park boundary between the Wawona Rd. and the South Fork of the Merced River. The fourth site was a short distance outside the park in the Sierra National Forest.

Officers arrested two male Mexican Nationals, one of them a 17 year old. According to Mariposa County Sheriff's Department Captain Joel Bibby, they will be prosecuted in federal court and then deported to Mexico.

Written by bill.johnson@mlode.com

Marijuana Cultivation Sites Eradicated in Merced River Drainage
Date: October 3, 2007

On the 26th and 27th of September 2007, approximately 30 law enforcement officers from the Mariposa County Sheriff’s Office, the US Forest Service, the California Bureau of Narcotics Enforcement (CAMP), and Yosemite National Park raided four illegal marijuana cultivation sites.Three of the cultivation sites were located on the Sierra National Forest/ Yosemite National Park boundary between the Wawona Road and the South Fork of the Merced River. The fourth site was a short distance outside the park in the Sierra National Forest.

A total of 14,536 plants valued at over 43 million dollars were seized. Law enforcement officers from the US Forest Service made two arrests during the raid, one an adult male and one 17-year-old juvenile. Both are Mexican nationals.

Large-scale marijuana cultivation is a problem which continues to plague land management agencies and Sheriff’s departments state-wide.