Sheriff
’s Department Special Operation’s agents uncovered 1,080
marijuana plants Monday in an Open Space Authority field east of
Gilroy – the largest outdoor marijuana stock in the county
encountered by the department so far this year.
Sheriff’s Department Special Operation’s agents uncovered 1,080 marijuana plants Monday in an Open Space Authority field east of Gilroy – the largest outdoor marijuana stock in the county encountered by the department so far this year.
Notified to the immature marijuana plants by an Open Space Authority worker who stumbled on the seedlings Monday, Sheriff’s agents responded to the area and removed the plants estimated to grow to $750,000 worth of street profit by the end of the summer, according to Sheriff’s officials.
The Sheriff’s Department has not made any arrests for the plants, and declined to release the exact location of the bust. Officials said the plants were planted no more than a week ago.
“(The suspects) could be from the Central Valley, or they could be living a mile away, you never know in a case like this,” said Sheriff’s Special Operations Lt. Edward Laverone. “We’re not too surprised by this because we frequently find marijuana plants on state, county property or Open Space property because of the remoteness of the land and the fact these pieces of land are often close to a water source, which is essential for marijuana growth.”
In 2001, the last year for which data is available, Santa Clara County Sheriff’s confiscated nearly 47,000 marijuana plants worth an estimated $233 million. Most of those confiscated plants came from the western and eastern hill areas of the county, Laverone said.
“This is the time of year when people start planting marijuana,” Laverone said. “We expect this bust to be eclipsed by the end of the summer. … It’s a fact that the weather in the valley provides a climate that supports marijuana growth.”
The introduction of the non-native plants, damming of nearby waterways and chemical fertilizers can all cause pollution concerns, he added.
