Massive loads of marijuana found in Mineral County
<p>Rows of marijuana were found in the Lolo National Forest near Superior.</p>
A marijuana farm in Lolo National Forest on the Superior Ranger District was destroyed Tuesday morning by law enforcement officers. The grow area had over 3,000 plants on three acres of steep forestland.
Mineral County Sheriff Ernie Ornelas said the grow operation had a street value of about $8 million.
The joint operation involved U.S. Forest Service law enforcement, the Mineral County Sheriff’s Office, the Northwest Montana Drug Task Force, Drug Enforcement Administration and the Montana Army National Guard.
The National Guard discovered the grow area after flying over in a helicopter on drug patrol. No arrests have been made.
Ornelas said the investigation, which began in late July, started in the Mineral County Sheriff’s office.
“The information came to us first,” Ornelas said. “And we started the investigation based on the information we had.”
With the tip-off, Ornelas said the sheriff’s department contacted the Northwest Montana Drug Task Force. From there, The NMDTF used their connections to get an Air National Guard helicopter to do a reconnaissance flight, or drug patrol flight.
“The reconnaissance flight was specifically for our investigation,” Ornelas said.
In fact, Ornelas said Deputy Sheriff Mike Boone rode in the helicopter during the drug patrol flight and took the pictures.
“Boone was the officer who was on there and the only one besides the National Guards people,” Ornelas said.
Once the grow site suspicion was confirmed, the Forest Service was brought in to help with the eradication.
The grow operation was located out in terraces on a steep hillside covered by other vegetation, and had plastic pipes providing irrigation to the plants. Law enforcement found no weapons, but two camping sites were found. The plants were waist high and a different color compared to the other plants in the forest.
Boone said the color difference and terracing could be seen from the sky, but if you weren’t looking for it, you probably couldn’t see it.
“These are not your local Joes living up there growing it,” Boone said. “These are trafficking organizations that California, Oregon, Washington have been dealing with for years and now they’ve come into Montana.”
“We all knew it was coming, and it’s finally here,” Boone added.
Law enforcement is activity looking for other grow sites now that they have found one. With hunting season in full swing, Ornelas said the possibility of other grow sites creates danger to public safety.
“This is not new to the national forests, but it is the first large outdoor grow discovered in Montana,” Ornelas said at a press conference in Superior. “The size indicates a drug-trafficking organization. We consider this a considerable threat to public safety, for the general public, Forest Service employees and law enforcement.”
Law enforcement urges hunters who may stubble upon a grow site to chart the location with GPS if possible, leave the way they came in and tell law enforcement officers immediately.
“Please don’t go exploring and see what else is out in the woods,” Debbie Austin of the Forest Service said. “(The grow site) was not located near a developed sight. It was out in the general forest and a person would be most likely to stubble across when they are hunting.”
Historically in other States, grow sites have been booby trapped and dangerous to approach.
While law enforcement continues the investigation and looks for other grow sites, Ornelas said the work can sometimes be like a military operation.
“Even for us in law enforcement, it’s dangerous,” Ornelas said.