Pelon1
07-19-2011, 04:32 AM
Marijuana fields
"A large marijuana raid conducted by local and federal authorities over the weekend may have taken some Southern Utah residents by surprise. Authorities arrested 38 people and confiscated more than $28 million worth of the plant in what is being called the largest raid of a marijuana field in state history.
These kinds of raids are nothing new for this region. Last year, more than 100,000 plants were discovered in 17 locations in Washington, Iron, Garfield and Wayne counties, with a total of 24 people arrested in connection with the illegal drug operations.
What made Saturday’s raid so surprising is that it was only five miles northwest of the town of Veyo in Washington County. There, near a small town, nearly a half-mile of land in a deep ravine had been transformed into a large farm for growing pot. In this case, some of the people arrested in connection with the marijuana farm are believed to be “upper-echelon” members of the operation, which stretches from Nevada to California and possibly to Mexico.
Luckily, in this case it doesn’t appear that anyone on the site was armed, but guns have been found at other sites in recent years, and that means area residents have to be vigilant as they wander the Southern Utah outdoors so they can stay safe and report what they see to authorities.
Marijuana farms typically have some form of irrigation and sometimes have camping equipment in the immediate area. They also sometimes have trails marked in some way so cohorts can find their way to the growing site.
While hiking, off-road biking or riding ATVs, it’s important to watch for signs that just don’t seem to match up with the rugged Southern Utah wilderness. If you see marijuana plants, irrigation pipes in wooded areas or other signs of questionable activities, it’s important that you leave the area immediately. As you leave, try to notice landmarks that will help authorities retrace your steps, but don’t take the law into your own h
ands.
The people who run these marijuana farms can be dangerous. Let the trained professionals, such as the men and women in agencies that responded over the weekend, handle the situation.
Busts like the one that happened over the weekend definitely hurt these kinds of operations, but this probably won’t be the last one we’ll see in Southern Utah. So take steps to protect yourself and avoid confrontations while law enforcement officers continue to pursue people taking part in these illegal acts."
"A large marijuana raid conducted by local and federal authorities over the weekend may have taken some Southern Utah residents by surprise. Authorities arrested 38 people and confiscated more than $28 million worth of the plant in what is being called the largest raid of a marijuana field in state history.
These kinds of raids are nothing new for this region. Last year, more than 100,000 plants were discovered in 17 locations in Washington, Iron, Garfield and Wayne counties, with a total of 24 people arrested in connection with the illegal drug operations.
What made Saturday’s raid so surprising is that it was only five miles northwest of the town of Veyo in Washington County. There, near a small town, nearly a half-mile of land in a deep ravine had been transformed into a large farm for growing pot. In this case, some of the people arrested in connection with the marijuana farm are believed to be “upper-echelon” members of the operation, which stretches from Nevada to California and possibly to Mexico.
Luckily, in this case it doesn’t appear that anyone on the site was armed, but guns have been found at other sites in recent years, and that means area residents have to be vigilant as they wander the Southern Utah outdoors so they can stay safe and report what they see to authorities.
Marijuana farms typically have some form of irrigation and sometimes have camping equipment in the immediate area. They also sometimes have trails marked in some way so cohorts can find their way to the growing site.
While hiking, off-road biking or riding ATVs, it’s important to watch for signs that just don’t seem to match up with the rugged Southern Utah wilderness. If you see marijuana plants, irrigation pipes in wooded areas or other signs of questionable activities, it’s important that you leave the area immediately. As you leave, try to notice landmarks that will help authorities retrace your steps, but don’t take the law into your own h
ands.
The people who run these marijuana farms can be dangerous. Let the trained professionals, such as the men and women in agencies that responded over the weekend, handle the situation.
Busts like the one that happened over the weekend definitely hurt these kinds of operations, but this probably won’t be the last one we’ll see in Southern Utah. So take steps to protect yourself and avoid confrontations while law enforcement officers continue to pursue people taking part in these illegal acts."