YREKA — The Siskiyou County Sheriff’s
Office has reported seizing more than $375 million in
illegal cannabis so far this year, with additional marijuana
raids expected this week.
In a news release Monday, the
sheriff’s office said 27,072 cannabis plants and 12,570
pounds of processed marijuana have been seized during 2017
by the Siskiyou Interagency Marijuana Investigation Team (SIMIT).
The plants totaled $324.8 million and
the processed marijuana $50.2 million, based on values
within the illegal cannabis market. Most seizures occurred
in the areas of Shasta Vista, Klamath River Country Estates,
Weed, Lake Shastina, Montague, Big Springs, Mt. Shasta
Forest, Mt. Shasta, Copco Lake and Butte Valley.
More recently, between Oct. 12 and
Saturday, more than 5,000 pounds of plants and processed
marijuana were seized at locations including Mt. Shasta
Vista, Mt. Shasta Forest, Klamath River Country Estates and
Butte Valley. The sheriff’s office said additional seizures
are planned for this week.
Sheriff Jon Lopey said, as marijuana
is typically harvested this time of year, his office is
encountering a larger number of mature plants and processed
cannabis than normal.
“There is also mounting evidence of
large-scale, organized crime efforts to finance the numerous
illicit grow sites that have been observed or eradicated,”
he said.
California legalized recreational
marijuana last year, but a Siskiyou County ordinance passed
in 2015 allows only for medical marijuana cultivation. Lopey
said his office is seeking no enforcement action against
growers abiding by state and local laws.
Since forming SIMIT in September of
last year, Lopey’s office has encountered numerous grow
operations, seizing as many as 2,985 plants on a single
parcel. His efforts were met with an attempted bribe by a
pair of marijuana traffickers, who were arrested in August
for allegedly offering Lopey $1 million to turn a blind eye.
Amid these circumstances, the Siskiyou
County Board of Supervisors declared a state of emergency,
paving the way for state and federal resources to assist in
marijuana enforcement.
In addition to the support of
organized crime, Lopey said illegal marijuana grows pose
natural hazards including the use of felling of trees,
illegal diversion of water, and contamination from garbage,
raw sewage, pesticides and fertilizers. Illegal campfires on
grow sites have also posed hazards during a particularly
destructive fire season on the West Coast.
