Two Killed In Massive Marijuana Garden Raid

[Sven]

In the "what's new" department, our law enforcment continues to waste money and human lives. Film at 11.

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ibsys/20030917/lo_kcra/1791520

Two suspects were fatally shot by drug agents raiding a massive marijuana garden in Shasta County Tuesday, the Shasta County Sheriff's Department said.

Agents said they were greeted by gunfire when they arrived at the garden in the eastern part of the county just before 7 a.m. Two suspects were killed during a gun battle with the 40 to 50 police who were conducting the raid, said Lt. Denis Carroll. None of the police officers were injured.

Three men fled the scene and were being sought in the Manton and Shingletown areas by police who considered them to be armed and dangerous. All three were wearing dark-green T-shirts and green camouflage pants.

Four helicopters helped a beefed-up contingent of about 75 police officers surround the area, search for the suspects and bale the marijuana, Carroll said.

Officials estimated that 20,000 to 30,000 marijuana plants were growing within about a 1.5-mile area of steep hillsides in the Shingletown Ridge area. That section of land is thick with Manzanita trees, which camouflaged the plants, Carroll said.

Investigators said it took most of the day for one suspect's body to be removed from a steep ravine. Neither of the two men's identities were released.

The raid was conducted by sheriff's deputies, the Redding Police Department, two special-weapons teams, members of two interagency drug task forces and agents of the California Department of Justice (news - web sites).

Authorities said the men being sought are considered armed and dangerous.

Let's look at the cost of this raid, not including the human lives. 75 officers? Helicopters?

 

[Intune]

Just wait 'till the morality police find out about that still in Lynchburg TN. HUGE one run by a dude known 'round these parts as Jack Daniels. Hear tell of a runner named Phillip Morris that has some pretty potent stuff too. Until a citizen hops in a car under the influence of ANYTHING from cough syrup to heroin or is stoned & rowdy in PUBLIC, what one does in the privacy of their own home does not affect me or mine. The WOD has done more to injure our country than any user ever could have. Law enforcement and dealers are the only folks that benefit from this lost war. Bah!

P.S. Stay tuned for the stakeout of Micky D's that nabs three obese people! One was shot while trying to lateral a bag of fries to a bystander. DA spouts, "that's 30,000 calories that'll never harm our children..."

 

[WYO]

I think that the emphasis placed on these type of incidents is misplaced. I would emphasize the following: "Agents said they were greeted by gunfire when they arrived at the garden." If police are greeted by gunfire on a traffic stop, do we attribute the death to the war on traffic scofflaws?

In any event, it's getting to the point where THR needs to open a new forum entitled "WOD" or "WOSD." These threads end up with the same bunch of "for it" and "against it" responses, and are cumulative to the point of boredom.

 

[moa]

Unfortunately, these huge pot farms a quite dangerous to outsiders. They are often in public land and national parks. The goons that protect the farms are not above placing booby traps, attacking hikers, etc., and destroying park visitors vehicles.

I read some years ago that something like a million acres of park lands has been closed to the public because of the pot farms and associated violence and crime.

If two of the goons would fire on a small army of LE, imagine what they would do to a hiker, or hunter, or Ranger, etc., who wanders into their stash?

 

[clange]

I read some years ago that something like a million acres of park lands has been closed to the public because of the pot farms and associated violence and crime.

And why do they do this? Why is there crime involved?

Because of the WOD, making it less than intelligent to grow anything on ones own property. If it was legal we wouldnt have LE getting into shootouts with crooks in national forest areas (ar at least, much less often), we'd have pot farmers. Oh the horror.

 

[Augustwest]

A. Shooters got what they had coming for firing on LEO's

B. If this country had a halfway rational drug policy, gun-toting thugs would get flushed out of the business.

Bet there won't be a lot of pot-related violence in Alaska in the near future.

 

[TallPine]

we'd have pot farmers. Oh the horror.

Worse yet, if the pigs got out of the pen and into the garden, we'd have "pot bellied pigs"

 

[Cosmoline]

I wish we had law enforcement operations like this in Alaska. It would save us from... something? What was the point of this again?

 

[grampster]

Tallpine,
As in the Vietnamese Pot Bellied Pig? They grow lotsa pot in Vietnam AND they have pot bellied pigs. Great observation! heh

 

[jimpeel]

The only way to get rid of the enforcement problem is to make it so gawdawful expensive that they simply can't do it any more.

If the advocates of Marijuana would use an aircraft to seed the hill regions of So. CA, especially after a burn, they would force the enforcement types to do their dirty work in some of the most inhospitable areas imaginable. The costs would be staggering, especially in a state that is nearly bankrupt already.

The worst thing for these types would be to have to do this work and get no reward through the seizure and forfeiture laws.

 

[Kruzr]

And here I thought we were finally safe with Public Enemy number one, Tommy Chong going to jail and his mail order glass waterpipe business shut down and assets confiscated.

With colored cards being posted to protect the homeland from terrorists, this certainly seems like a good way to help build the deficit. Maybe another layer of curtains over the statues of justice is needed.

 

[gunsmith]

These "gardens"

Often are plantations,ruin the enviroment and it's armed
illegal alien farmers have shot & killed hunters here in "NORCAL".
so I am for our police dept getting these guys,takes some of the heat off me for carrying without a permit.
But we should just legalize it allready.
Marijuana is a stupid,addictive waste of time,just like ciggs and beer.
It's time to fight the illegal alien terrorist cells and common criminals.

 

[Double Naught Spy]

Maybe with a little more firearms and tactics training there won't be 3 on the run next time?

 

[Carlos]

But we should just legalize it allready.
Marijuana is a stupid,addictive waste of time,just like ciggs and beer.
It's time to fight the illegal alien terrorist cells and common criminals

Here, here!!! Imagine the billions that would be freed up to fight real problems going on right now.

 

[spacemanspiff]

our law enforcment continues to waste money and human lives.

actually those lives were already wasted to begin with. or do you really think that their life would have amounted to anything worthwhile? would they have gone on to discover a cure for cancer? found a way to conserve natural resources? figured out how to stop polluting the environment?

 

[Nightfall]

Of all the stupid things for people to be dying over... a plant. People are killing and being killed over being able to grow a plant.

Legalize pot, stop sending LEO into needless danger like this, stop making a business that breeds violent criminals.

 

[Nightfall]

do you really think that their life would have amounted to anything worthwhile? would they have gone on to discover a cure for cancer?

So it's okay when people die as long as they likely weren't going to discover a cure or invent something important? Don't place much value on life, do you?

Regardless of the value you place on the life of people who grow drugs, I hardly see how this plant is an issue we should be throwing lead over, or spending billions on.

 

[spacemanspiff]

i cant bring myself to feel sorry for people that willingly commit crimes. do you think growing pot is the only crime they committed?

if a person wanted to grow their own weed and keep that for personal use, fine. they dont harm anyone. but growing operations solely for use in dealing the weed will create other opportunities for crime.

wait, i know what youre going to say next: "but if it was legalized and the govt taxed the product, the gov't would MAKE money instead of SPEND it!" now that is probably true. but it would also put out of business the existing growers. but i'm sure they would go on to get legitmate jobs and leave the life of crime, right?

 

[keederdag]

Round and Round she goes....I think the guy's were scum, I got no pity for the growers; they are violent criminal types that will allways be with us. However, this is a stupid thing to waste time/money on, it is a weed. You dont get stoned and beat your wife (you get a pizza). Beer is far worse. Legalize it, at leaste there will be one less thing, the gangsters have the only source of. If Cali keeps it up, the illegals will find it far more profitable to import/manufacture illegal guns.

 

[Brian Dale]

Legalize the weed. Treat it like corn or soybeans.

Treat dope smokers like drunks: ignore them unless they get behind the wheel or pose some other immediate threat.

Stomp the thugs who run the trade, like the vicious criminals they are.

Direct LE resources toward murder, rape, arson, terrorism and so forth.

A few empire-building LE administrators will have to find other jobs. Fine.

 

[keederdag]

Happy Bob. Can't be stated better! Good job. Keeter

 

[JohnBT]

Then they could tax it like tobacco, alcohol and gas and balance the budget. JT

 

[Nightfall]

do you think growing pot is the only crime they committed?

Probably not. I'm not speaking of these specific criminals and the other crimes they may have committed outside this incident. I'm saying I can't see how it's a good thing to be getting into firefights simply because somebody grows this particular plant.

but i'm sure they would go on to get legitmate jobs and leave the life of crime, right?

Well, yes. If they were already accomplished at growing pot, and it was legalized... do you really think they would stop doing the profession they're good at, which they can now make a legal profit at, without worrying about getting killed or arrested over? Umm, I'm doubting it. I'm guessing they grow it for the profit, not because they enjoy getting shot at. If the profit remains, and the danger goes away, why would they move on to other crimes?

This of course, is assuming they aren't violent criminals, which these growers appeared to be. Thus the reason this is hypothetical debate, not about this specific shootout.

 

[tyme]

[blockquote](WYO) I think that the emphasis placed on these type of incidents is misplaced. I would emphasize the following: "Agents said they were greeted by gunfire when they arrived at the garden." If police are greeted by gunfire on a traffic stop, do we attribute the death to the war on traffic scofflaws?[/blockquote]
You know, if the usual moving violations netted 5-10 (or more) in a federal prison, yes, I'd attribute a gun battle during a traffic stop to LE overstepping its bounds.

 

[Keith]

Were these DEA agents in Ninja suits? Somehow I suspect they were and if so, the people raising this crop had no idea if they were dealing with a bunch of rival gangsters or cops. They shot at them.

If the DEA had come up in uniform, would there have been shooting? Somehow I doubt it, I think there would have been more running away than shooting.

I don't feel sorry for them. After all, raising pot is still a crime even if law itself is stupid. If you commit the crime you risk getting shot by rivals ripping you off or, ninja-clad DEA agents. When cops adopt military clothing and tactics, people are going to die.

I have to ask, what if somebody here had been camping or hiking in the area and a bunch of ninja's had come out of the brush? It might have been a poster here who was dead for "shooting at a cop".

Keith