Seven people were arrested and more than 5,000 marijuana plants seized in Dos Rios Wednesday in an early morning raid by local, state and federal law enforcement officers.
Law enforcement officers served a search warrant on a remote ranch near the Eight Mile Bridge in Dos Rios at 7:30 a.m. Wednesday and seized 5,275 plants, ranging from seedlings to full-grown budding plants, as well as 100 pounds of processed marijuana, $20,000 in cash, two handguns and five rifles...
...Two structures on the property were being used to grow marijuana, according to sheriff's reports. One was a barn that had been converted into a grow room; the other was a starter room and processing shed.
The starter room contained 271 grow lights run by a 400-kilowatt generator. Noe said the generator was three or four times the size of a car.
"It was one of the most extensive grows I've ever seen," he said.
Officers also found a second 350-kilowatt generator at the ranch as well as 25 gallons of waste oil and a large plastic tank containing fuel for both generators. Officers called the Mendocino County Department of Public Health to investigate any possible environmental hazard....
read the rest
☛ The Press Democrat Arrests in pot raid
UKIAH — Seven people were in custody Thursday after drug agents from Mendocino, Sonoma and Shasta counties raided a large indoor marijuana growing operation at a remote ranch along the Eel River near Dos Rios... The Press Democrat read the rest
No mention of any LLC's.
Confiscated marijuana, weapons and imitation law enforcement gear are displayed on a vehicle at a home in the 3000 block of Ruddick-Cunningham Road that was raided Thursday morning by the Mendocino Major Crimes Task Force.(The Daily Journal)
☛ Ukiah Daily Journal Drug raid finds fake police gear 2/15/08
Confiscated marijuana, weapons and imitation law enforcement... (MacLeod Pappidas/The Daily Journal)
The county's drug task force served a search warrant at a home on Ruddick-Cunningham Road expecting to find methamphetamine and marijuana and found not only the drugs, but evidence of a drug thieving operation that included costumes with which the thieves were impersonating drug enforcement officers.
A black cap and bulletproof vest labeled "POLICE" and "NARCOTICS" along with handcuffs, a badge, holsters, hoods and a pair of black tactical pants were among the items seized from the three-bedroom home where two arrests were made.
Veronica Vega Sandoval and Juan Carlos Garcia Arreguin, both 35, were arrested at the scene. A person who lived at the house is being sought by police.
Children living in the home were at school at the time of the arrests.
Officers, with the help of the Task Force drug search dog, found more than one quarter ounce of suspected methamphetamine in the house as well as two one-pound bags of trimmed marijuana buds and an estimated 10 pounds of untrimmed marijuana filling a blue plastic tub, approximately 20 gallons in size. Officers also seized a rifle.
According to Mendocino Major Crimes Task Force Commander Bob Nishiyama, the police-style costume is the same as one found in at least one other drug raid, and investigators believe it is linked to numerous home invasion robberies involving marijuana, including several in Boonville and the most recent on Cow Mountain in December.... read the rest
Diesel fuel, oil from generators primary sources of pollution
Every year, law enforcement officers in Mendocino County raid hundreds of illegal marijuana gardens and seize thousands of marijuana plants, but in a presentation to the Ukiah City Council Wednesday night, Hazardous Materials Specialist Jim Harrison showed the lesser known environmental impacts of illegal marijuana cultivation.
The primary sources of pollution in illegal indoor marijuana grows are diesel fuel and waste oil, Harrison said. Illegal marijuana growers often use generators to power grow lamps.
"The generators run seven days a week, 24 hours a day," Harrison said.
These generators require large amounts of fuel and frequent oil changes.
At an indoor grow on Hunt Ranch in Laytonville, 33,000 gallons of diesel fuel were stored in several large plastic bins that were connected to generators by plastic tubing.
"Just about every connection had a leak," Harrison said.
At another indoor grow on Foster Mountain, near Salmon Creek, a chronic fuel leak contaminated the soil.
"We had to take 200 truckloads of contaminated dirt out of there," Harrison said.
Cleanup at these sites can be expensive. Harrison said the Foster Mountain cleanup cost $650,000. He said cleanups on that scale are not uncommon read the rest
That's funny, I thought this blog was supposed to be about watchdogging Humboldt County DA Paul Gallegos? Don't see how he fits into any of these stories on Mendecino.
ReplyDeleteThat's watchblogging, and, eh, sometimes I throw in something new just to keep you guessing.
ReplyDeleteIf you've been here very long you know I often post stuff about the Mendocino pot scene because there are a couple of readers who follow it, and because it sometimes relates to what is going on up here.
For example - another big bust - but no mention of any LLCs, but it may turn out to be a related story to happenings up here.
Then there's the environmental degradation caused by pot growers and diesel spills, something Stephen Lewis has been pointing out for years - and the resultant hypocrisy of the Miller/Lovelace crowd who spend all this time and energy and resources spouting about Palco's damage to watersheds, yet they remain silent about this - Still haven't heard boo about Schectman/Hedlund's/Vilca's effect on the environment and 'Humboldt Watersheds.' Have you?
It's medicine for sick people, dammit!
ReplyDeleteClassic Drew Issac: "It must be sad to live in Arcata, where there are so many sick young people."
ReplyDeleteThe Feds know no boundaries & only an imaginary line separates Mendocino & Humboldt Counties, 6:35. Also, your DA was an admirer of Mendo's late DA, Norm Vroman.
ReplyDeleteYou don't think Paul is related to the pot situation in Humboldt County? Now that is rewriting history.
ReplyDeleteHoly smokes those generators are huge! There is a post over on heraldo'd site that claims a link in this bust to Josh Hedlund. 271 lights ! Got to be one of the biggest grows ever busted and so little media coverage, thanks Rose.
ReplyDeleteYou mean this?
ReplyDeleteFebruary 16, 2008 at 3:13 pm
Kite Downed by Lonetree Says:
Hey, did anybody hear about the massive bust in Mendocino?
You can read about it in the Press Democrat or the Ukiah Daily Journal.
This just in: Josh Lonetree Hedlund's buddy and family friend, Kite Finds the Feather (you can't make up names like that), got popped with 270+ lights, 100lbs, and a 350KW and 400KW generators!!! Holy shit, that's phat! Hummm… . It's really strange that Josh JUST made his plea bargin at the begining of Feb., and then low and behold a couple weeks later his friend (or should I say business partner?) gets busted. Hummmmm….I wonder if the property was controlled by an LLC set up by Josh… . Josh is the Anti-Midas, anything he touches turns to SHIT!
Watch for upcoming busts in Mendo. and Hum. Cos. as Josh frantically tries to save his scrawny little, pretty-boy ass at any cost.
Looks like the Lonetree has contracted Sudden Oak Death Disease. Hope it doesn't spread too far.
Stay tuned folks, this mess ain't over yet!
I have to say that Lonetree comment reads like a threat.
ReplyDeleteWhat is Lonetree?
really, a threat? i did'nt get that. is'nt Josh Hedlnd's middle name Lonetree (is he part Native American? somehow I doubt it). Did you see that the workers were Laino and held on immigration violations? guess that is a trend . . . cheap labor and all, like the vineyards.
ReplyDeleteIs it an LLC? Or a real middle name?
ReplyDeleteThere are 7 LLCs listed with Lonetree in the name. Three of them have the same Agent for Service of Process, and are either cancelled or pending cancellation, but they seem to be based in Colorado,
Two have an agent for service in Roseville, CA.
i thought i read on the web (court docs) his real middle name is Lonetree.
ReplyDeleteJoshua Lonetree Hedlund is his full "real" name. And that one post does sound like a threat.
ReplyDeleteI wonder if Josh even knew about this grow. Probably not but these dopers have to blame someone.
Good work with the local, state, and feds. Two Hugh generators and. All that "medicine".
ha ha ha
The indoor grow mentioned on the Hunt Ranch was owned my a Garberville businessman, 2001.
ReplyDeleteThe whole Hunt ranch project was Big Bob's gig. The "legit" Humboldt County businessman. What a joke.
Hope Uncle Bobby gets his just due.
I'm sure the Ganja Grower's Guild of Humboldt County would like to thank the authorities for their efforts in helping to get wholesale pot prices back up to a reasonable level. Every time they make a big bust like that, all the other growers are so grateful for the renewed price supports!
ReplyDeleteWho is big bob? Does he have a last name? Anybody know how the hunt ranch compared to this bust in size?
ReplyDeleteThe Hunt Ranch raid's were bigger in numbers, march 6 2001. But then it was a raid on several locations up the same road. The road was west of highay 101 and north of Laytonville. The plant count was around 28,000. Not all of the locations were at full capacity. The biggest generator seized was 235 KW. 400 and 350 KW generators are REALLY REALLY BIG !!!!!!!
ReplyDeleteBob purchased the Hunt property (10 or 12 million $$$$) and sold 120 to 400 acres (this is a basic guess but it's something like that) parcels to selected or "special" SoHum folks. Several individual properties were hit. Lots of cops with DEA in the lead.
Bob is "the MAN" in SoHum, and has been for some time.
Would that be McGee?
ReplyDeleteDid you see the part that said the starter section had 271 lights? So what was the total? Wonder how they got those generators up there? Somebody with heavy equipment must have helped them. Wonder how they got their fuel? Kite finds the feather has a Nevada company "hunter brand." Wonder if the property was owned by that corp? Over at the Press Democrat I saw this: Kite Finds the Feather=Mendo Mate (drinks company) and Finds the Feather is "a white guy who wears a cowboy hat."
ReplyDeleteMissing Persons Reports have been filed on behalf of both Amanda and Kite. Amanda Wood- Age at time of disappearance: 28 years-old
ReplyDeleteHeight: 5 feet 6 inches
Weight: 120 pounds
Hair: Blonde
Eye color: Blue
On May 7, 2008 the Mendocino County Sheriff's Office was contacted by a family member of Amanda Lee Wood.
During the contact it was reported that on 04-08-2008 Wood had contacted family members indicating she was in Fresno, California with her boyfriend and their three children. This was the last time family had heard from Wood and they decided to report her as a missing person on May 7, 2008.
Wood's boyfriend was identified as being Kite Isacc Findsthefeather and their three children were identified as being Keesha Findsthefeather (7 years-old female at time of disappearance), Isaac Findsthefeather (4 years-old male at time of disappearance) and Justice Findsthefeather (3 years-old male at time of disappearance).
At this time Sheriff's Office Detectives believe Wood and Findsthefeather are fugitives from justice as both are wanted in Mendocino County on felony arrest warrants for cultivation of marijuana. These arrest warrants were issued shortly after their disappearance. Detectives believe Wood and Findsthefeather are still in the company of their three children.
Anyone with information in regards to the possible whereabouts of Wood, Findsthefeather or their three children are asked to contact the Sheriff's Office Tip-Line by calling 707-467-9159.
MCSO Case#: 08-1298
http://www.mendocinosheriff.com/missing/index.html
Kite Finds the Feather The Charlie Project - http://www.charleyproject.org/cases/f/findsthefeather_kite.html Amanda Wood - The Charlie Project - http://www.charleyproject.org/cases/w/wood_amanda.html
Amanda Wood -