ANGELES FOREST POT FARM BUSTED.Byline: Patricia Farrell Aidem and Charles F. Bostwick Staff Writers GORMAN - Fourteen thousand marijuana plants were plucked Thursday from a remote spot of the Angeles National Forest The Angeles National Forest (ANF) was established by executive order on December 20, 1892 as the San Gabriel Timberland Reserve. It covers over 2,600 km² (650,000 acres) and is located in the San Gabriel Mountains of Los Angeles County, just north of the metropolitan area of Los near Gorman, federal officials said. Five men were arrested and in custody late in the afternoon, but few details were available, said forest spokesman Stanton Florea. The daylong job was the culmination of months of surveillance after the pot farm was discovered during air patrols, Florea said. The Forest Service led the investigation, with help from the federal Drug Enforcement Administration The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) was established in 1973 by President richard m. nixon as part of the Justice Department, thus uniting a number of federal drug agencies that had often worked at cross-purposes. and the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department This article is about the Los Angeles County Sherriff's Department, not to be confused with the smaller Los Angeles County Police The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department (LASD) is a local law enforcement agency that serves Los Angeles County, California. . The plants were found east of the Golden State Freeway The Golden State Freeway is a north-south freeway running through Kern County and Los Angeles County, California. Originally built as U.S. Highway 99, it was re-signed as Interstate 5 in 1964. , south of state Highway 138, in the vicinity of Quail Lake, Florea said. The ``farm'' was just west of forestland for·est·land n. A section of land covered with forest or set aside for the cultivation of forests. burned in July by the Pine Fire, which scorched scorch v. scorched, scorch·ing, scorch·es v.tr. 1. To burn superficially so as to discolor or damage the texture of. See Synonyms at burn1. 2. nearly 18,000 acres as it moved to the east. ``It was in the extreme northwest corner of the forest,'' Florea said. Marijuana plantations are not unusual in the Angeles - about 40,000 plants were found last year near La Canada Flintridge and destroyed. On Wednesday, 7,000 plants - from 4 to 7 feet in height - were seized in the Santa Monica Mountains The Santa Monica Mountains are a low transverse range in southern California in the United States. Geography They run for approximately 40 mi (64 km) east-west from the Hollywood Hills in Los Angeles to Point Mugu in Ventura County. near Malibu. ``What makes this unusual compared to many of these operations is we have five suspects in custody,'' Florea said. ``Usually, you find the plants but not the people responsible.'' Media reports say California forest pot cultivation is booming under the influence of Mexican drug cartels, who hire illegal immigrants to tend the pot farms. Typically, plants are put in the ground during April through early June. Harvesting activities occur in September and October and hikers, campers and hunters are advised in some areas to beware of the workers, who can be armed and dangerous. Patricia Farrell Aidem, (661) 257-5251 pat.aidem(at)dailynews.com |
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