Mountain Pot Farm Worth $250,000 Seized
Orange County sheriff’s deputies Tuesday seized about $250,000 worth of marijuana watered by an irrigation system in the Santa Ana Mountains.
The estimated 1,000 plants, partially concealed by other foliage, were first spotted late Monday from a sheriff’s helicopter on routine patrol over rugged terrain about a quarter-mile off Ortega Highway about 15 miles east of Antonio Parkway, said Jim Amormino, a sheriff’s spokesman.
“Because darkness was falling, they decided to wait until daybreak,” Amormino said. Deputies and U.S. Forest Service personnel hiked into the area early Tuesday in 90-degree heat.
No arrests were made.
Law enforcement officers also discovered a rifle at an abandoned campsite near the plants, Amormino said.
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