Large pot farm in National Forest busted
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOENIX - Authorities have uncovered a vast marijuana farm in a remote ravine north of Strawberry on the Coconino National Forest.
The mile-long field included "thousands and thousands and thousands" of plants, though it was unclear exactly how many, said Sgt. Mike Johnson of the Gila County Sheriff's Office.
A Department of Public Safety commander told the Arizona Daily Sun that it may be one of the biggest busts on record.
Members of the Gila County Narcotics Enforcement Task Force had been investigating and doing surveillance since July on the farm north of Strawberry on the southernmost part of Coconino National Forest.
A man was seen tending the plants and camping in the garden in July and August, according to court paperwork released Tuesday.
Last week, another man was spotted in the garden, and on Monday, two others were seen there.
The men, who were heavily armed, were confronted by law enforcement and arrested.
Three of them admitted they had been paid to tend the marijuana plants. All were illegal immigrants, according to paperwork filed with U.S. District Court in Flagstaff. The men were identified in federal court paperwork as Jesus Castillo Malendrez, Gerardo Manzo Pulido, Oscar Nunez Medina and David Valencia Gonzalez. Castillo, Manzo and Valencia are from Mexico.
The investigation involved numerous agencies, but most were referring calls to the U.S. Attorney's Office, which refused to answer questions about the size and scope of the farm until a news conference scheduled for Thursday.
Johnson said the farm near Strawberry was one of a number local authorities have discovered on Forest Service land this year. Five others were found on the nearby Tonto National Forest.
"We've had so many of them it seems like," he said.
Raquel Poturalski, a spokeswoman for the Coconino National Forest, said only a few marijuana plants have been documented in that forest in the last few years, but cases are not unheard of.
The portion of the forest where the farm was discovered was in the Fossil Springs Wilderness Area, just north of Strawberry. It is heavily forested with steep canyons, difficult to access by road.
The mile-long field included "thousands and thousands and thousands" of plants, though it was unclear exactly how many, said Sgt. Mike Johnson of the Gila County Sheriff's Office.
A Department of Public Safety commander told the Arizona Daily Sun that it may be one of the biggest busts on record.
Members of the Gila County Narcotics Enforcement Task Force had been investigating and doing surveillance since July on the farm north of Strawberry on the southernmost part of Coconino National Forest.
A man was seen tending the plants and camping in the garden in July and August, according to court paperwork released Tuesday.
Last week, another man was spotted in the garden, and on Monday, two others were seen there.
The men, who were heavily armed, were confronted by law enforcement and arrested.
Three of them admitted they had been paid to tend the marijuana plants. All were illegal immigrants, according to paperwork filed with U.S. District Court in Flagstaff. The men were identified in federal court paperwork as Jesus Castillo Malendrez, Gerardo Manzo Pulido, Oscar Nunez Medina and David Valencia Gonzalez. Castillo, Manzo and Valencia are from Mexico.
The investigation involved numerous agencies, but most were referring calls to the U.S. Attorney's Office, which refused to answer questions about the size and scope of the farm until a news conference scheduled for Thursday.
Johnson said the farm near Strawberry was one of a number local authorities have discovered on Forest Service land this year. Five others were found on the nearby Tonto National Forest.
"We've had so many of them it seems like," he said.
Raquel Poturalski, a spokeswoman for the Coconino National Forest, said only a few marijuana plants have been documented in that forest in the last few years, but cases are not unheard of.
The portion of the forest where the farm was discovered was in the Fossil Springs Wilderness Area, just north of Strawberry. It is heavily forested with steep canyons, difficult to access by road.
posted by Mr Farnham at
12:05 AM
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