MARIPOSA COUNTY – Over 16,000 marijuana plants were seized and destroyed on Friday, Apr. 25, as deputies from the Mariposa County Sheriff’s Office and one officer from the Mariposa County Probation Department eradicated two wilderness marijuana complexes located in the northern end of the county.
Both complexes are believed to belong to a Mexican drug trafficking organization that has been operating in the area for some time.
A total of 5,003 marijuana plants were eradicated from a rural private property near Penon Blanco Mountain in Coulterville.
Deputies eradicated 11,851 plants from the second cartel grow on BLM property in the Horseshoe Bend area of Lake McClure. This marijuana complex spanned a large area which was spotted by a Sheriff over-flight. It took deputies several hours to clean the site.
The pre-season activity noted so far by law enforcement is indicating a challenging wilderness marijuana season this year. The Sheriff’s Office is requesting that any members of the public who see suspicious activity, including food and gardening supplies, irrigation hose, and digging activity in rural and wilderness areas, report their observations to law enforcement. They warn residents not to approach in this type of circumstance.
