Politics & Government

Task Force Seizes Marijuana Plants From Public Lands

A multi-agency effort over 11 months brought in 200,000 plants from 150 locations.

Federal officials say a multi-agency narcotics task force has seized nearly 200,000 marijuana plants from 150 locations throughout San Diego county over an 11-month period ending last month.

More than 65,000 of the plants were seized from public lands with the help of the Bureau of Land Management, the U.S. Forest Service and tribal partners on reservations, according to Bill Sherman, acting special agent in charge of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration's San Diego Field Division.

"We work together to get those marijuana plants off our public lands and make those lands safe for public use,'' he said.

The task force seized 176,632 plants from 83 outdoor grow sites and 22,927 plants from 67 indoor sites. Most of the indoor grows could be tied to marijuana dispensaries, a DEA spokeswoman said.

The team also seized more than $1.2 million in assets, including real estate, vehicles and cash, made more than 100 arrests and confiscated 71 weapons between January and November, down from previous years, Sherman said.

—City News Service

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