Former Drug Ranch Bought by Girl Scouts for Campsite

After fierce bidding that drove the price up to $2.38 million, Orange County’s Girl Scouts on Wednesday became the new owners of a 213-acre ranch that was once home to an international marijuana smuggler.

Within a few months the land--where tons of marijuana once were bundled and shipped--should be bustling with hundreds of Girl Scouts enjoying a year-round camp.

“We’re delighted,” said Bernice K. Hird, president of the Girl Scout Council of Orange County. “We have been looking for 20 years for a campsite in Orange County and this will be perfect.”

The Scouts came away with the rugged ranch, located in the southeastern corner of Orange County, after a spirited session boosted the price from an opening bid of $1.54 million. Only one other party entered the county-sponsored auction, but the bidding went 167 rounds before the Girl Scouts’ rival, Hanu Reddy Realty of Irvine, threw in the towel.

Despite the high price tag, officials on all sides said the land was a good buy. “This couldn’t be better. It’s a fair and equitable deal for everybody,” said Ronald S. Rubino, county budget director.

The purchase must be approved by the U.S. attorney’s office, because federal drug enforcement agents seized the property in 1985. But Girl Scout leaders and county officials were confident that the federal government would not reject the sale.

“I would have a real hard time imagining that at this price, and with the Girl Scouts, that the federal government would block this sale,” Rubino said.

Wednesday’s auction comes after a long and heated debate in Orange County about the proper use for the ranch, which was seized from Daniel James Fowlie, who was convicted in April on 15 felony counts related to his drug-smuggling operation.

Sheriff Brad Gates had proposed turning it into a drug-enforcement training center.