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Posted on 07/24/2007 12:08:52 PM PDT by AuntB
CHICAGO -- Cook County Forest Preserve police and agents from the Drug Enforcement Administration cut down and burn all of the plants found in 11 illegally cultivated cannabis fields in Cook County forest preserves -- pot with an estimated street value of $4 million dollars.
Officials announced charges against two 23-year-old Mexican immigrants in what DEA officials called an elaborate, sophisticated cultivation scheme, according to a release from forest preserve police. Bernardo Rangel and Jose Verra were arrested in connection with the scheme.
Raw Video: Marijuana Burned
Rangel and Verra were each charged July 11 with cultivating marijuana over 50 plants and criminal damage to land, both Class 2 felonies, and criminal trespass, a misdemeanor. Bond was set at $40,000 each, the release said. Rangel, who possessed a permanent resident identification card, was released after posting bond. Verra, who is undocumented, remains at the Cook County Jail.
The arrests came as part of an ongoing investigation by the Cook County Forest Preserve Cannabis Eradication Program.
On June 10, an intern with McGraw Wildlife Research, conducting a study in partnership with the Forest Preserve District, went to retrieve a camera from the woods and encountered three Hispanic men utilizing a sump pump, generator and water hose to pump water from a pond near Crabtree Nature Preserve in Barrington, the release said.
The volunteer questioned the men, who initially claimed to be employed with the Village of Barrington, but later fled. The volunteer contacted the forest preserve police, who later followed the hose back to a cultivated cannabis field.
On June 16, CCFP police and DEA agents returned to the field and expanded their search, locating several more cultivated fields, containing about 3,000 plants. Police also find an encampment with a tent and three cots, food supplies, fertilizer bags and an area for cooking and showering. An underground bunker was found about 30 yards away.
While conducting aerial surveillance on June 29, police located several more fields, bringing the amount of cultivated cannabis to between 15,000 and 20,000 pounds.
Officers inspecting a field found Rangel and Verra wearing camouflage clothing and sleeping in a tent in another encampment in a heavily brushed area in another cultivated cannabis field, the release said.
Tuesday, officials from more than 50 law enforcement agencies are cutting and burning all of the plants, the release said.
“This particular marijuana operation shows the sophistication of some traffickers. Instead of bringing marijuana across the border, this drug organization set up shop in the United States on public property, in the forest preserves, where it was being cultivated for harvest and illegal distribution, Gary Olenkiewicz, Special Agent in Charge for the DEA Chicago Field Division said in the release.
http://www.policeone.com/drug-interdiction-narcotics/articles/1292135/
Record-size drug fields found in Dallas, Tex.
" "This is the largest outdoor grow in Dallas history," said Jim Capra, special agent in charge of the Drug Enforcement Agency's Dallas field office. "It's pretty significant."
http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/85613.html
Yeah, sure they did.........
On my way to Crabtree now.
I seriously doubt the $4million for 50 plants.
If they booby trapped the fields, I hope they get charged with attempted murder to boot.
Oops, further into the article they beter describe the quantity.
“We just smiled and waved/Sittin’ on that sack of seeds.”
AAAARRRRRRGGGGGGHHHHH!!
All that good tax money up in smoke!
/
You read that wrong. The charge is for cultivating over 50 plants, not 50 plants worth 4 million.
My favorite youtube video a reporter “trying” to report on a pile of pot being burned.
http://youtube.com/watch?v=hGRB4NtkZeI
NNNNnnnnooooooooooo!
Never mind.
Another phenomenal waste of police resources brought to you by the failed war on some drugs. We ought to get a million or so people to pretend that dandelions make us feel funny when we smoke them. Then the government will come remove them from our lawns for us.
I feel safer already!
Reminds me of the good old days, running with Carrie Nation, smashing beer kegs and pouring out bottles of scotch!
One cigarette at a time....
From the above article..^^
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Nothin’ but a dog and pony show.
Unfortunately, it wouldn't work that way. If you had dandelions in your lawn, the police would accuse you of cultivating a controlled substance, and use that as an excuse to confiscate your property through forfeiture without due process. Then they'd use the proceeds to buy a new "drug fighting boat".
What is a "drug field"?
More Mexican Drug cartels growing dope on public lands from the other day.
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1866789/posts?page=120#120
Cartels grow pot on ‘national treasures’[Public Land]
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1866615/posts
Shasta County pot eradication operation begins
And one of many from Oregon
7,000 Marijuana Plants Raided in Lake County
Salem-News.com July 7, 2007
http://www.salem-news.com/articles/july072007/pot_seizure_7707.php
The team also found two handguns and one rifle at the location.
(LAKEVIEW, Ore.) - A total of 7,459 marijuana plants 2-4 feet in height were seized today in a multi agency operation in Lake County.
Twenty five officers from state, county, city and federal agencies teamed to raid the suspected outdoor marijuana grow site about 8 miles northwest of Lakeview.
Lt. Greg Hastings with Oregon State Police says the grow site was on private and national forest service property at a 5,000 foot location described as low hills.
“The officers went to the area of Thomas Creek Road and US Forest Service Road 28 with a search warrant as part of a marijuana growing operation investigation,” Hastings said.
“As officers arrived in the area, two unidentified Hispanic males fled on foot and were not captured. The interagency team seized the plants and also found two handguns and one rifle at the location.”
Officers involved in the investigation and search are from Oregon State Police, Lake County Sheriff’s Office, Lakeview Police Department, Klamath County Interagency Narcotics Team, and US Forest Service. The Lake County District Attorney was also present during the raid. Anyone with information regarding the suspects and investigation is asked to call Lake County 9-1-1
> Rangel, who possessed a permanent resident identification card, was released after posting bond.
I’ll bet that Rangel is across the border by end of day.
Let me know how it goes. LOL!
Billy Joe called the local police department and informed them, his neighbor, Billy Bob, had marijuana hidden in a huge pile of wood in the back of his property. The police showed up and proceeded to completely cut up and destroy the wood looking for the pot.
When they left, Billy Joe called Billy Bob and said, “The police show up??”, “Yup they did” said Billy Bob..”They cut your wood up??” asked Billy Joe..”Yup they did” said Billy Bob..”Good, happy birthday Billy Bob”..
NEWSUPDATE
In a related story, downwind from the burning pot pile small animals were seen staring at brightly colored flowers for hours, while engaged in a eating frenzy of acorns....
ENDUPDATE
(Chuckle)
See my reply just below yours.
‘I seriously doubt the $4million for 50 plants.’
Unless they stand 300 feet in the air, I doubt it also.
Too bad....they are wasting their time. There’s probably several hundred thousand acres growing indoors right now along with the several hundred thousand acres growing outdoors just waiting to be harvested in about 30-45 days. And thats just in this country. It just needs to be legalized. Because this is a huge waste of the money the government takes from me.
>>>>>Then the government will come remove them from our lawns for us.
Thats how I got my garden dug up......someone thought there was a dead body in there..... {:^)
‘Rugged soldiers...soldiers the size of Wales....’
ROTFLMAO! THanks for posting that link, its HILARIOUS!
No doubt at all.
These are not patches of ditch weed. These are full scale Mexican Drug cartel run organized crime operations. THOUSANDS of acres of forest lands in nearly every state. Local Sheriffs are simply outgunned and outnumbered by them.
In many counties, that is all they do, local ‘citizen’ crime is pretty much on it’s own.
Photos of these farms:
http://towncriernews.blogspot.com/2006/09/mexican-border-has-moved-800-miles.html
More from another article:
“Charged in the case were 23-year-olds Jose Verra, an undocumented immigrant from Mexico, and Bernardo Rangel, a Mexican citizen who possessed a permanent resident ID card. Bond was set at $40,000 each. Rangel posted bond and was released. Verra remains detained at the Cook County Jail.”
http://www.dailyherald.com/story.asp?id=334244
I’m glad to see you still have a sense of humor, Badeye.
they were only growing the weed that americans won't grow...
20,000 pounds of pot worth 4 million? Thats some VERY expensive weed!
‘I’m glad to see you still have a sense of humor, Badeye.’
Dear Lady, there has never been a reason for me not to maintain a sense of humor. Life is too good, and way too short to do otherwise.
Careful, my anti groupies will reproduce this exchange on that other site that banned the word ‘kook’.....(chuckle)
As for the wastage of pot though, it's just sad. I could have put it to good use!
The over/under on RobertPaulsons first post on this thread at #64
:-)
IS #64 ....
>>>Just out of curiosity, how many Mexican alcohol cartels are currently operating in America?
excellent!
The tobacco cartels are the worst....The are homegrown and continue to kill people by the thousands. Daily! With near impunity.
$12.50 per ounce?
“20,000 pounds of pot worth 4 million?”
And that probably includes 18,000 pounds of stems and roots!
In order to secure the burn site, every cop within 100 miles was there, although they seemed to congregate on the downwind side of the bonfire. Some of them were obviously not used to country air as they could be seen breathing in and out rather deeply and they all seemed to have bags of Doritos. /s
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