10,000 pot plants discovered in Washington
KITTITAS COUNTY NEWS RELEASE -- The Kittitas County Sheriff’s Office busted another marijuana grow shortly after 8 AM Monday.
This one, just two weeks following the harvest of a major grow operation a few miles away in the Manastash Canyon southwest of Ellensburg.
The Sheriff's Office was alerted to a possible marijuana grow by two different groups of citizens who were scouting for antler sheds. The Sheriff’s Office confirmed the grow location as about 16 miles SW from Ellensburg off the Walter Springs Road.
Deputies, assisted by the DEA and WSP drug task force, harvested 10,319 plants with a potential street value of over 8 million dollars.
No suspects were located in the area. The grow, along with hundreds of feet of irrigation pipe and supplies had been abandoned, possibly due to the recent bust a couple weeks ago just a few miles away.
Team members were brought in by Sheriff's Office Humvee, ATVs and dropped in by helicopter.
Kittitas Valley Fire and Rescue stood by for safety to support the operation. The marijuana and supplies were removed for destruction by Sheriff's Office personnel.
This one, just two weeks following the harvest of a major grow operation a few miles away in the Manastash Canyon southwest of Ellensburg.
The Sheriff's Office was alerted to a possible marijuana grow by two different groups of citizens who were scouting for antler sheds. The Sheriff’s Office confirmed the grow location as about 16 miles SW from Ellensburg off the Walter Springs Road.
Deputies, assisted by the DEA and WSP drug task force, harvested 10,319 plants with a potential street value of over 8 million dollars.
No suspects were located in the area. The grow, along with hundreds of feet of irrigation pipe and supplies had been abandoned, possibly due to the recent bust a couple weeks ago just a few miles away.
Team members were brought in by Sheriff's Office Humvee, ATVs and dropped in by helicopter.
Kittitas Valley Fire and Rescue stood by for safety to support the operation. The marijuana and supplies were removed for destruction by Sheriff's Office personnel.
PROHIBITION IS A DIRECT THREAT TO CHILDREN'S SAFETY:
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"The âwar on drugsâ has also generated indirect costs that many researchers contend have undermined public safety. The federal government has prioritized spending and grants for drug task forces and widespread drug interdiction efforts that often target low-level drug dealing. These highly organized and coordinated efforts have been very labor intensive for local law enforcement agencies with some unanticipated consequences for investigation of other crimes. The focus on drugs is believed to have redirected law enforcement resources that have resulted in more drunk driving, and decreased investigation and enforcement of violent crime laws. In Illinois, a 47% increase in drug arrests corresponded with a 22% decrease in arrests for drunk driving. Florida researchers have similarly linked the focus on low level drug arrests with an increase in the serious crime index."
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âDrug Policy, Criminal Justice and Mass Imprisonment, by Bryan Stevenson
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