UKIAH — Law enforcement officials Friday announced information about “Operation Full Court Press,” a large-scale marijuana enforcement operation in Colusa, Glenn, Lake, Mendocino, Tehama and Trinity counties.
This ongoing marijuana eradication effort has led to the arrest of numerous individuals believed to be affiliated with these illegal operations. Operation Full Court Press consists of more than 300 personnel from 25 local, state and federal agencies.
To date, Operation Full Court Press has resulted in the seizure of 462,549 marijuana plants, 1,510 pounds of processed marijuana, 18 grams of methamphetamine, 22 Xanax pills, $15,981 U.S. Currency, 32 weapons, 11 vehicles and the arrest of 102 individuals.
Of those arrested, 89 people were booked on various federal and state charges to include marijuana, firearm and immigration violations, while 13 were foreign nationals detained on administrative immigration violations. They will be processed for removal from the United States.
Additionally, more than 23 tons of trash, 22 miles of irrigation line, 2,171 pounds of fertilizer and 57 pounds of pesticides were removed from grow sites.
“This operation demonstrates the ability of many government agencies working together toward a common goal and achieving a successful outcome,” Mendocino County Sheriff Tom Allman said. “Our citizens should be very proud their public lands are being rightfully returned to them for recreational use.”
“This monumental effort has been one of cooperation and just plain hard work! My hat is off to all those involved. The operation has been long overdue and will go a long way in restoring safety to our public lands; stop the environmental carnage and turn back control to the rightful owners; the citizens of the United States,” Glenn County Sheriff Larry Jones said.
“With its unique legal authorities and investigative expertise, ICE Homeland Security Investigations continues to play a vital role in the ongoing multi-agency effort to combat the public safety risks posed by the illegal cultivation of marijuana on public land in this state,” Clark Settles, special agent in charge for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement”s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) in Northern California said. “That threat now is as great as it has ever been. The criminal groups involved in these activities have shown repeatedly they have no qualms about using violence against those who get in their way, including unwitting members of the public who are using California”s wilderness for recreation.”
Settles added, “Public land is for everyone to enjoy and we”re going to do whatever it takes in cooperation with our state and local partners to prevent harm to visitors and the environment.”
This year law enforcement from local, state and federal agencies identified numerous large-scale marijuana operations located on public lands in Colusa, Glenn, Lake, Mendocino, Tehama and Trinity counties.
It is believed many of these grow sites are controlled by drug trafficking organizations. As a result, law enforcement from a variety of agencies dedicated resources to the investigation, eradication, and reclamation to control this illegal activity.
During this operation, thousands of pounds of toxic fertilizers, trash and miles of makeshift irrigation systems were removed from grow locations. These foreign materials contaminate California”s watersheds and destroy wildlife. Eradication and reclamation teams strive to remove irrigation lines, contaminates, and trash from the land, streams and rivers.
Taking away this material will help restore the land to its natural state and will eliminate the infrastructure, which is imperative to deter drug trafficking organizations from re-establishing their operations.
The removal of non-native material is the first stage of the restoration process and can cost up to $11,000 per acre.
