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17,493 Marijuana Plants Removed From Angeles National Forest Yesterday
Marijuana plants removed earlier this month from the Angeles National Forest (LASD)
As part of an ongoing effort to rid public lands of illicit marijuana-growing operations, members of the Narcotics Bureau Marijuana Eradication Team (MET) and Aero Bureau, in a joint operation with members of the U.S. Forest Service, California Department of Fish and Game, California Bureau of Narcotic Enforcement, Campaign Against Marijuana Planting (CAMP), and the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) removed 17,493 marijuana plants from the Angeles National Forest yesterday.The action took place within three canyons, where they tackled grow areas that had been previously identified. There they found 41 separate plots of the plant as well as evidence of campsites and irrigation systems set up. A similar operation took place earlier this month, when authorities removed an estimated $22M worth of illicit plants from the Angeles National Forest.
Some statistics regarding yesterday's removal:
- The marijuana plants removed have an estimated street value of nearly $35 million dollars.
- Authorities removed 950 pounds of refuse (hazardous chemical fertilizers, pesticides, food, spraying equipment, propane tanks, and live ammunition) from the forest.
- Three artificially-dammed streams needed repair.
- Since May 2010, detectives have eradicated a total of 126,687 illicit marijuana plants from local public lands.
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