MET Activity at Bald Hills Area Marijuana Grows This Week
Multiple water storage containers suspected to be filled through illegal water diversion tanks. [Photo from MET] PLEASE NOTE: According to the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Department, “The location was illegally cultivating the cannabis, however, no active diversions on this property were located during the search warrant. This makes the case a misdemeanor for the illegal cultivation and the owner was advised of this. However, the District Attorney’s Office will make the final charging decision.”
We’ve broken each watershed into its own post. For previous posts see:
- Overview of This Weeks Humboldt County MET Operation Plus Look at Redwood Creek
- MET Marijuana Raids This Week in the Steelhead/Powers Creek Watershed in the Fort Seward/Harris Area
- Salmon Creek Marijuana Grows Hit by MET This Week
This is a press release from the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office. The information has not been proven in a court of law and any individuals described should be presumed innocent until proven guilty:
4. Roach /Tulley Creek Watershed
On July 22, 2021, teams served four warrants on parcels in the Roach /Tulley Creek Watershed. During the service of the warrants, deputies eradicated approximately 6,922 growing cannabis plants. Deputies seized and destroyed over 55 pounds of processed cannabis.
Assisting agencies found the following violations:
- Six (6) water diversion violations (up to $8,000 fine per day, per violation);
- Two (2) water pollution violations (up to $20,000 fine per day, per violation).
[Click or Zoom to enlarge photos.]
Multiple discarded fuel tanks at illegal cultivation site.
No arrests were made during the service of the warrants. The cases will be forwarded to the DA’s Office for review. Additional violations with civil fines are expected to be filed by the assisting agencies.
Anyone with information about these cases or related criminal activity is encouraged to call the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office at (707) 445-7251 or the Sheriff’s Office Crime Tip line at (707) 268-2539.
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Those plants look terrible! Guys can’t even grow a decent product! Smh
🤔 they look fine?
Those tanks pictured above were filled through catchment from the trees not diverted.
Actually the tank in the foreground that the scientist is looking at with the dented top works excellent for catchment. You just crack the big black lid and the water filters through the threads. We have two 5k tanks that are dented they fill up over the winter.
I know for a fact how those tanks got filled. No diversion at all but that doesn’t fit the narrative or bring in those enforcement dollars. As stated some illicits are environmentally concious and that is why it is the only picture of that property. Suspected cause the grow ain’t got anything else to tag fines on! I am sure now it looks like an environmental disaster.
I know that guy too. For decades. No diversion. But they have to throw the shade on him because “All growers w/o permits are big, ugly, bad criminals! We police will save the environment!” That is their big bullshit public relations scam and they will push it everyday all day…There are some very bad players out there for sure. Deserving to get spanked. But get this- Many of them even have permits…
If those were catchment tanks, they’d likely be empty by now given how little rain we received this year. With the extended drought even growers who are generally conscientious are probably going to be tempted to divert rather than see the crop die. They did find active pumps and diversions on at least some of those parcels according to the release.
It’s not that different that how the farmers in the Upper Klamath basin feel about keeping water in the river — it’s their livelihood and no water means failed crops. They’ve gone as far as busting open the irrigation gates to try and stay in business even if it means dead salmon downstream.
It doesn’t make diverting water right but I can understand the motivation. In this case, lack of permits also means you are going to be more vulnerable to these kinds of searches.
Every life form on the planet is diverting water, we all need it to survive. It falls from the sky, makes its way through the land eventually to the ocean to evaporate then form clouds and precipitate for the umpteenth time.
No kidding..Multiple water trucks running into my area daily.
Trinity County allows water delivery as the water supply for their permitted grows. I know a few guys doing this while blowing out upwards of 500 pound harvests, permit in hand…untouchable. One guy even rigged it so his crappy low-producing well appears to be his water source. Had it tested in the spring last year…engineer signed off…he’s good to go get the state license. So many scams…
Agreed Farce it’s definately bullshit. Like you said in an earlier post if they really gave a shit they would put it in the creek but didn’t.
You guys all use the word “catchment” like it’s going out of style lol. I like to read the comments under weed busts because the armchair quarterbacks come out and it’s usually entertaining. Carry on.
Well…I guess everybody better replant quick to be able to pay those fines! Isn’t that the situation being created?
Exactly what’s happening and has been for 40 years. Same diagnosis, same prescription, same outcome. Many have said 100 grows a day eradicated will have little to no effect if it’s replanted. I commend the efforts of all legal, illegal, eradicators we all have a job. Bless the plant!
Or dig up a few of those buried ammo cans stacked with black market cash?
Hmm… ammo cans don’t hold enough cash. YETI coolers. 72 qt YETI will hold a million dollars.
Bury 10 YETI coolers and you’re set for life.
Last time I saw, a Yeti cooler cost nearly a million dollars.
Creek that’s a step. you mean a spring box they dug out to catch spring water and pump to storage tanks. It’s wild now
When I called Fish and Wildlife a few weeks ago over concerns for a recently permitted grow next to an old growth redwood grove with spotted owl habitat I was told we can’t help you. The Fish and Wildlife agent I talked to told me he was busy writing approval letters from a list of cannabis farm applicants sent to him by State Senator Mike McGuire accompanied by a subtle threat to delay funding to make sure Fish and Wildlife wrote the letters. He said” apparently the word is out to contact Senator Mike McGuire to get an approval letter from Fish and Wildlife, I would rather be doing environmental work than being told to write approval letters for this politician. They shouldn’t be locating these grows next to these sensative areas”
Which is the bald hills one?
Tully Creek
Why do people have the need for more more and more? When is a small crop enough? What ya going to buy? What’s the deal? Greedy ? Have we gone beyond the point of just not caring? Oh my that mighty dollar, she makes ya crazy!
Let them grow weed, y’all sorry asses realize that this is okay right? Omg they are ruining the hills, no they are not nestle and big corps are tying the hills. How bout that oil spill that caught the ocean on fire???? That’s like the whole emerald triangle in pollution lol. You liberals are so blind it’s scary.
Whataboutism much? Just because bigger and more impactful industries are out there doesn’t mean these impacts should be ignored.
Keep up the good work! Loving it
It would appear that all those propane/gas tanks are waiting to be refilled with propane and gas. I doubt anybody is throwing those away wheh they look pretty new. It’s an assumption to say they are discarded when it looks to me like they are ready to be loaded up in a truck soon to be refilled.
big fan of the powers that be bringing in the big guns when necessary. it’s disgusting what these people are doing to these sacred, precious watersheds. ATF and CDFW have an uphill battle, but with enough funding and federal legalization on the horizon, I hope this will change
Why are those outdoor plants so small? It’s almost august! Has everyone forgotten how to grow a big healthy plant? Or did they just never learn?
Early run of autos followed by a replant of regular would be my guess.
This is sickening….continues every week in and week out, no stop in site.
We need to arrest the responsible parties, why cant we put these people away!!
Take the land and give it to the community or an agency to manage appropriately.
Or maybe you could get it back and then, sell it again?
Taking water out of any creek after May is not a good practice ,no bueno .it’s actually kinda odd reading all this outrage over water since the fact is lots of provisional “legal “farms reside near these busts and actually use the same water in these same exact watercourses.
I for one am glad to see you illegals pay the price. Equals more water for my legal plants!! 5000 gallons a day I dump a extra 2000 now since they popped the neighbors. My plants love the extra and so does my pocket book.
Just wish they would bust the other morons filling their water truck up out of the Eel in leggett. Pisses me off my swimming hole is getting shallow
good… hope to see more of this in the coming weeks & months. even if it doesn’t seem like a big deal clipping 6000+ plants is a step in the right direction. gets these scumbags out