Marijuana Farm Found by Firefighters
Firefighters working on an 8,200-acre wildfire in Northern California discovered a marijuana plantation that officers estimated was worth about $25 million.
Tehama County Sheriff Clay Parker said agents removed more than 5,100 marijuana plants, ready for harvest, from the plantation in the Mendocino National Forest on Monday. Agents also found about 15,000 pounds of processed marijuana with a street value of about $75,000, he said.
For the record:
12:00 a.m. Nov. 4, 2000 For the Record
Los Angeles Times Saturday November 4, 2000 Home Edition Part A Part A Page 4 Foreign Desk 2 inches; 38 words Type of Material: Correction
Marijuana seizure--An Oct. 4 article about a marijuana farm discovered by firefighters in Northern California misstated the amount of processed marijuana that was also found. The correct figure is about 1,500 pounds; authorities estimated its street value at $75,000.
The plantation was in a rugged, steep and sparsely populated area, and was discovered by firefighters using bulldozers to carve a line around the fire, he said.
U.S. Forest Service agents on patrol near the wildfire Tuesday stopped a car that was later found to be loaded with harvested marijuana, Parker said. The two men traveling in the car fled and haven’t been found, he said.
A nearby camp that officials suspect belonged to the marijuana farmers was abandoned, probably due to the wildfire, he said.
No arrests have been made, and Parker said there were no suspects.
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