BLM Once Again Releases Little Information on Marijuana Raid

BLM employees remove trash from an illegal marijuana garden on public lands in California (photo by BLM Central Coast Field Office)

BLM employees remove trash from an illegal marijuana garden on public lands in California

[caption from BLM page. Photo by BLM Central Coast Field Office]

Getting information on marijuana raids by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) in our area is difficult for media outlets. Facts that the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office and other law enforcement agencies usually release readily–plant count, reason the grow was targeted, environmental damage, photos from the site–are rarely released to the public.

Search BLM and marijuana in our files and in the files of the Lost Coast Outpost and you get a single page of results, almost always with information released by other law enforcement agencies. This is not for lack of trying on our part. We repeatedly request information. Usually with no response.

Yesterday we had a huge break through though. One BLM employee actually spoke to us. She said that she would try to get us information but, in the end, she was not allowed to answer any questions and a subsequent press release contained information that we had already published through gathering information from other sources in a previous article. There was only the additional information that the search warrant was served on private lands.

Here’s the press release:

Bureau of Land Management law enforcement agents and Humboldt County Sheriffs Office served a search warrant on private lands within the King Range National Conservation Area.

BLM agents and Humboldt County Sheriffs Office arrested Steven Lewis Conselvi for illegal cultivation of marijuana.

This is a result of an ongoing investigation.

The Bureau of Land Management continues to refuse to release information about arrests and raids on or near public land to the public. In order to provide this community with information, we will be reporting their raids in the future even if we have only a sentence of basic facts that we can confirm.  Our articles on their raids may be skimpy but we believe that the public’s interest is not being served by withholding basic facts from the community  especially now that marijuana laws and enforcement of the laws are in flux.

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16 Comments
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G-ma
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G-ma
7 years ago

Their so strange.maybe it’s not so important for us to know.like it’s not news.

Shak
Guest
Shak
7 years ago

Private lands? The sheriff wears two hats? Isn’t he supposed to protect his citizens FROM the rogue depts of the other hat? Time to recall & elect an officer who knows the proper role of the sheriff? (To protect & defend the constitution against all enemies foreign & domestic). His job is to secure the rights of the people like, Private property.
We’ve been warned about that UN crap that Lynch is promoting. (Strong cities network)
Grants. Never trust a county who bows to oppressors then begs for grants.
Never give to Czar what isn’t Czar’s. Our constitution was created by individuals for individuals and the only taxes allowed were taxes needed to defend our borders.
Let that one soak in all you God, country & John Wayne haters.

Anon Forrest
Guest
Anon Forrest
7 years ago

Suggestion: Call Jared Huffman, our Congress Critter, and email this article. This is the type of secrecy and cavalier use of Federal power that begs an explanation. ( It motivated the recent stand-offs in E Oregon on the bird refuge, as well.)
These people must be held accountable, and in the public eye. Call Huffman, tell a staffer, he’ll get it.
I’d do it myself, but it will be much stronger coming from you, the Press, the wronged Citizen. I’m curious about BLM working on “private land” as well. Is the owner charged with a crime, or does the owner pay for this service? Are WE paying for it? af

Shak
Guest
Shak
7 years ago
Reply to  Anon Forrest

Huffman is a chief land grabber who despises individual rights, & the constitution.

Shak
Guest
Shak
7 years ago
Reply to  Shak

While you have ol Huffman on the phone, ask him why he staged a circus show on the senate floor, distracting the people & the media while, yes, WHILE, Obama was busily releasing yet another terrorist. (Osama bin laden’ body guard).

amimissingsomething
Guest
7 years ago

Kym, For whatever good it will do I have faxed a copy of a request for information from the BLM to Jared Huffman’s office. He has the responsibility to be a go between for any Government organization that refuses requests for information. Of all the Alphabet soups of our Government the BLM is by far the most secretive of them all. When I first moved here in 1974 they along with the USFS were responsible for burning down legitimate homes belonging to people who had Gold claims on the trinity and Klamath Rivers. Some of the ones I am reminded of were in and around the Denny area. If you want to get the word out you can go directly to Huffman’s site and he has a print out of a form to assist you or any other news site or individual citizen to have access to information pertaining to any activity they run. I suggest everyone who reads this send Mr. Huffman a request for information on the BLM raid. There is no case number because they won’t release it. Thanks for your time, Jeff

Shak
Guest
Shak
7 years ago

It would be nice to see him held accountable, but don’t hold your breath. He fully supports the land grabs.
He will ignore or plead innocence about the unconstitutional AFFH Obama signed into office. He will plead “but but but” about the unconstitutional Standing Army aka Strong Cities network, that Obama/Jarret signed into law.
The AFFH uses HUD counties to REZONE any land they want to into “govt owned” land.
The Strong cities network reclassified dimwit counties into joining forces with govt enforcement agencies, on the county dimes.
But, hey, it’s election year. Let’s see how he plays these cards, right.

Seamus
Guest
Seamus
7 years ago

Some thing is rotten in Denmark. Perhaps a Freedom of Information Act request would loosen up the BLM. For all we know some BLM agent was looking to expand his property line or was fulfilling a personal vendetta against the accused. This is exactly the reason the FOIA was was made into law.

Public Untrust
Guest
Public Untrust
7 years ago

The BLM is a terrible agency. When we called them the Bureau of Logging and Mining they did many illegal and environmentally destructive moves, repressing and denying information to the public about their intentions. Now they are in the business of “wilderness management”. There has been a major turnover in perspective and openness in the Arcata office but I still wouldn’t trust the agency. BLM’s secrecy and imperial policies have fed the Sagebrush Rebellion because BLM’s motives are not transparent and their actions are questionable- this feeds mistrust and opposition. This particular bust may be reasonable. But we are left not knowing anything- while we are paying for it through our taxes! Why does a publicly-funded agency act in such secrecy and refuse the public basic information? I think it’s fishy and dishonorable. Are they accusing this guy of damaging the wilderness area? We have the right to know, not to be stonewalled. Who in the agency is stopping the flow of information? What policy overrides the public’s right to know? Again- it may be justified but we won’t know. This breeds mistrust and resentment. BLM should do better. We pay them.

popcorn toes
Guest
popcorn toes
7 years ago

Perhaps don’t grow weed and get a real job, then you won’t have to worry about getting raided.

Ro
Guest
Ro
7 years ago
Reply to  popcorn toes

EXACTLY!

tugboat
Guest
7 years ago

Dear Popcorn Toes , [edit]
It is like saying ” lets cut down all the redwoods then we will not have a problem with tree huger”
[edit] how about, lets kill all the blacks then we will never have a race problem. [edit]

popcorn toes
Guest
popcorn toes
7 years ago
Reply to  tugboat

What nonsense.

maybe
Guest
maybe
7 years ago

maybe, just maybe, theyre doing the guy, who from what im reading is a nice guy small fry, a solid by not plastering his name all over the news. maybe, just maybe he overstepped his bounds a little and the blm put him in check, and maybe it would be best for the grower and family if this incident was allowed to blow over so they can all the sooner return to life as normal without internet driven stigmas.

Friend
Guest
Friend
7 years ago
Reply to  maybe

Exactly Maybe!