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$72 million in pot plants confiscated in Sierra foothills
THREE RIVERS — Authorities confiscated more than 20,000 plants from several marijuana gardens growing in Tulare County and Sequoia National Park.
No arrests were made, the National Park Service said.
Officers confiscated firearms, sleeping bags, tools and irrigation equipment from gardens growing in the East Fork drainage area of the Kaweah River. The plants had an estimated street value of $72 million.
Pot growers used poisons, pesticides and cut into steep slopes to create the gardens and camps, the park service said. The growers were also poaching for food.
Authorities are continuing to search the Sierra Nevada foothills for pot gardens by flying over mountain areas and conducting surveillance during the pot growing season that ends next month, said Lt. Donna Perry of the Tulare County Sheriff’s Department.
