mprovz Posted August 3, 2003 Share Posted August 3, 2003 Just wanted to know if anyone has had a similar experience. I was Geocaching around the Angeles National Forest and ran into a marijuana farm of about 30-40 plants in a creek. I ran out of the area and watched it from a distance to make sure no one was around. I then went in and took photos and marked it as a waypoint. I then reported it in to authorities. Be careful out there. Time magazine had an article about the above happening in NP's all over the US. Quote Link to comment
+leatherman Posted August 3, 2003 Share Posted August 3, 2003 I would have had fun with my machete. Then reported it. Pepper playing nice! Mokita! Quote Link to comment
+Renegade Knight Posted August 3, 2003 Share Posted August 3, 2003 leatherman, that method would make it very hard to determine if all the plants were actually there when the authorities arrived!...or is that what you intended? MPROVZ: My experiences whith the stuff always involved friends houses and grow lights. Never have found it in the woods but if I did I'd do what you did. Quote Link to comment
+Wadcutter Posted August 3, 2003 Share Posted August 3, 2003 quote:Originally posted by MPROVZ:I ran out of the area and watched it from a distance to make sure no one was around. If anyone comes across these kinds of fields be very very careful where you step and where you go. It is very common for growers to booby trap their fields. We've found punji pits, trip wired shotguns, and explosives. If you aren't really careful you can trip a wire and get yourself hurt or killed. Just a fine line of mono fishing line strung across a path can set something off. It can be near impossible to see. These are some serious folks. Quote Link to comment
+CachinCin Posted August 3, 2003 Share Posted August 3, 2003 Please be VERY careful around these marijuana plantations. A few years back, I used to do contract work on Forest Service land (bird counting), and a contractor in another park had a hole blown in his chest by a trip wire connected to a shotgun. He probably didn't even realize that he was at the edge of a field. Sometimes the fields are just a local grower trying to maintain his own weed. Sometimes the fields are set up by pretty tough types who guard their cash crop with camouflaged booby traps. Cin Quote Link to comment
+leatherman Posted August 3, 2003 Share Posted August 3, 2003 quote:Originally posted by Renegade Knight:determine if all the plants were actually there when the authorities arrived!...or is that what you intended? That's a skrewed up way to call me a dope head! Pepper playing nice! Mokita! Quote Link to comment
mprovz Posted August 3, 2003 Author Share Posted August 3, 2003 I had heard of similar stories of booby traps and armed migrant farm workers maintaining those fields. They go all the way from fish hooks hanging from trees and the shotguns. And it is pretty much impossible to see, unless you're really looking for them. I would probably refrain from hacking the crop down myself. You don't know who will come up on you, the grower or law enforcement. Either way, you'll have a lot of explaining to do. I'm a police officer by trade and after this experience I'll always be armed. Before this, I left my semi-auto at home in the interest of saving weight. It's unfortunate that we as hikers, geocachers, and other parkgoers in general have to put up with this type of thing. It was unheard of when I was growing up. You go to national parks to get away from these types of things. It seems like the criminals are now flocking to these places because of the lack of law enforcement. The crux is that everyone wants to have law enforcement and feel safe. But not a lot of people are willing to pay for it. It seems like the government, from federal to local would rather put up with what they deem as acceptable statistical crime data than try to put the appropriate number of rangers, officers, etc in the field. I didn't know who to pass the information on to. I questioned who's jurisdiction it would fall under. I ended up emailing the forest service who put me in touch with a special agent in Washington DC. She in turn put me in touch with the local sheriff's department who handled it. Quote Link to comment
psinpsycle Posted August 5, 2003 Share Posted August 5, 2003 Remember, the only reason marijuana plants are dangerous is because they are illegal. Simply overturning the marijuana prohibition laws would eliminate the need for thugs to grow this stuff in public parks. Legalize marijuana and take the danger out of the plant. Quote Link to comment
+Bull Moose Posted August 5, 2003 Share Posted August 5, 2003 quote:Originally posted by CachinCin:Please be VERY careful around these marijuana plantations. A few years back, I used to do contract work on Forest Service land (bird counting), and a contractor in another park had a hole blown in his chest by a trip wire connected to a shotgun. He probably didn't even realize that he was at the edge of a field. That doesn't make any sense to me. Don't booby trap your field and take your chances that no one will stumble upon it AND that they'll call the authorities, or kill someone and guarantee that the authorities will show up. But I doubt we're dealing with the most intelligent of people in those cases. Quote Link to comment
adampierson Posted August 5, 2003 Share Posted August 5, 2003 More likily they are booby trapping these places to warn them of that authorities have arrived or at a minimum to kill off people wishing to rob them of their crop. My advice is get out of there, and report what you found to the cops. ---- Chivalry: A couple of medieval songwriters come up with the idea of chivalry one rainy day... and you embrace it as a lifestyle. You live and die by a code of honor that was trendy when you were a kid. Quote Link to comment
+GIDEON-X Posted August 6, 2003 Share Posted August 6, 2003 quote:Originally posted by MPROVZ:It's unfortunate that we as hikers, geocachers, and other parkgoers in general have to put up with this type of thing. It was unheard of when I was growing up. You go to national parks to get away from these types of things. Well I don't no where You grew up ~~~ I'm 67 years old, born and raised in Southren California, and the "Pot Farms" have always been around. In the last decade they have been getting more press, and there is more public awareness. Mzee ~~~ "And now where" Quote Link to comment
+Breaktrack Posted August 6, 2003 Share Posted August 6, 2003 quote:Originally posted by Mzee & Associates: quote:Originally posted by MPROVZ:It's unfortunate that we as hikers, geocachers, and other parkgoers in general have to put up with this type of thing. It was unheard of when I was growing up. You go to national parks to get away from these types of things. Well I don't no where You grew up ~~~ I'm 67 years old, born and raised in Southren California, and the "Pot Farms" have always been around. In the last decade they have been getting more press, and there is more public awareness. Mzee ~~~ "And now where" Yeah, but c'mon, it IS Southern California after all, sheesh! It is hardly representative of any part of the rest of the country....LOL. (oops, forgot to add: Born in San Diego myself) "Trade up, trade even, or don't trade!!!" My philosophy of life. Quote Link to comment
+TEAM 360 Posted August 7, 2003 Share Posted August 7, 2003 It's...uh...for medical purposes! Yea! That's it! Quote Link to comment
+Brian - Team A.I. Posted August 7, 2003 Share Posted August 7, 2003 quote:Originally posted by psinpsycle:Remember, the only reason marijuana plants are dangerous is because they are illegal. Simply overturning the marijuana prohibition laws would eliminate the need for thugs to grow this stuff in public parks. Legalize marijuana and take the danger out of the plant. Brian Team A.I. Quote Link to comment
+canadazuuk Posted August 13, 2003 Share Posted August 13, 2003 In BC, the coordinates for marijuana plantations would lead you into residential neighborhoods... we grow it indoors here. And it is a HUGE problem. So next time your GPS freezes up near a lame urban Vancouver cache, BEWARE!!! Quote Link to comment
+ChrisCindy Posted August 14, 2003 Share Posted August 14, 2003 quote:Originally posted by Brian - Team A.I.: quote:Originally posted by psinpsycle:Remember, the only reason marijuana plants are dangerous is because they are illegal. Simply overturning the marijuana prohibition laws would eliminate the need for thugs to grow this stuff in public parks. Legalize marijuana and take the danger out of the plant. Brian Team A.I. Well first off I no longer do any drugs other then caffine. The government spends all this money fighting weed and they let almost 542,000 people die from alcohol and tobbaco to a rate of about 17,000 from ALL illicit drugs combined.(I don't by the fact that there was 0 weed related deaths. Someone had a DUI in there and killed themselves or someone else) Marijuana makes up for almost none of that percent, though. I am not anti tobbaco as that is self inflicted but of the 110,000 alcohol deaths 17.448 (2001) people died in DUI auto crashes. Weed isn't as big a problem as folks make it out to be. We have bigger fish to fry. Just my .02 cents worth. When in doubt...hit it with a big hammer. Quote Link to comment
Vacman Posted August 14, 2003 Share Posted August 14, 2003 And then this happened to one of my caches. -------------------------------------------------- Black holes are where God divided by zero. Quote Link to comment
+ChrisCindy Posted August 15, 2003 Share Posted August 15, 2003 quote:Originally posted by Vacman:And then http://ubbx.Groundspeak.com/6/ubb.x?a=tpc&s=5726007311&f=4016058331&m=12660057 happened to one of my caches. -------------------------------------------------- Black holes are where God divided by zero. So when are you posting the pics When in doubt...hit it with a big hammer. Quote Link to comment
Vacman Posted August 17, 2003 Share Posted August 17, 2003 quote:Originally posted by Chris&Cindy: So when are you posting the pics When in doubt...hit it with a big hammer. Hehe - The postable pics were posted... -------------------------------------------------- Black holes are where God divided by zero. Quote Link to comment
+ChrisCindy Posted August 17, 2003 Share Posted August 17, 2003 quote:Originally posted by Vacman: quote:Originally posted by Chris&Cindy: So when are you posting the pics When in doubt...hit it with a big hammer. Hehe - The postable pics were posted... -------------------------------------------------- Black holes are where God divided by zero. Like someone else said just Photoshop the bad parts and post the pics of the guy When in doubt...hit it with a big hammer. Quote Link to comment
+Lone Duck Posted August 20, 2003 Share Posted August 20, 2003 Weed my lips... During military training (we were doing mechanized assault drills) we deployed in one part of the range at the base after driving in. Everybody went charging out of the tracks and realized that we were in the biggest field of over-our-heads weed with the biggest buds you ever saw! Yep, U.S. government wacky tobaccy. Of course some guys started grabbing some and stuffing in in their clothing as "camoflage." "Got Buzz?" That Quack Cacher: Lone Duck When you don't know where you're going, every road will take you there. Quote Link to comment
+Alan2 Posted August 21, 2003 Share Posted August 21, 2003 Never mind dem forests. Dey just busted sum guy growin' 10 foot mary juana plants tied to bamboo (Chinese pot?) in Floyd Bennett Field, part of Gateway National Park in Brooklyn of all dem places. Sheesch!! Alan Quote Link to comment
+Gorak Posted August 25, 2003 Share Posted August 25, 2003 In this neck of the woods, outdoor "grows" are unheard of. BC Bud is all grown indoors and, according to the local news, is now a $3-billion (CDN) a year business. You're more in danger of getting in the crossfire of a "grow rip" while sitting in your backyard than you are in the woods. We've had 3 grows busted on our block in the last year and we live in a good neighbourhood! Last estimate was 10 to 15,000 grows in the metropolitan Vancouver area. __________ Gorak Quote Link to comment
Cybo Posted August 30, 2003 Share Posted August 30, 2003 Lol, its interesting to see the idiots that grow marijuana inside during the winter...all the cops have to do is look for houses with no snow on roofs Quote Link to comment
The Pet Posse Posted August 30, 2003 Share Posted August 30, 2003 Originally posted by Gorak: We've had 3 grows busted on our block in the last year and we live in a good neighbourhood! What??!! And some of us DON'T live in good neighborhoods??!! What the heck does that have to do with it?! So, are you saying if you live in a good area, bad things don't happen? The Ramseys lived in a good neighborhood. So did Nicole Simpson. We're just talkin' about pot here people, it shouldn't be that serious of a subject! Ya bunch of narcs!!! Dogs Have Owners....Cats Have Staff!! Quote Link to comment
+Lone Duck Posted August 30, 2003 Share Posted August 30, 2003 quote:Originally posted by psinpsycle:Remember, the only reason marijuana plants are dangerous is because they are illegal. Simply overturning the marijuana prohibition laws would eliminate the need for thugs to grow this stuff in public parks. Legalize marijuana and take the danger out of the plant. Funny... they did that with Prohibition and there are those who run Stills to this day. The same with tobacco, specifically cigarettes. There are people who traffic in cigerettes to get around the taxes levied on them. Legalizing something doesn't necessarily remove the criminal element from it. That Quack Cacher: Lone Duck When you don't know where you're going, every road will take you there. Quote Link to comment
+GEO*Trailblazer 1 Posted August 30, 2003 Share Posted August 30, 2003 Drugs: any of a number of man_made synthesized form of a natural product. Originally called RX.Remedy or the Prescription.So any drug is a drug no matter the case.And any natural product is a natural product. I am for all natural myself and do not trust to many to make it for me. I am neither for nor against either. Because in the first paragraph of the Bible it says: I God saw all that I created and it was good. Which leads to the defanition of a Pharmacy,(greek) Pharmakeia, Sorcerer WHEN ALL ELSE FAILS *GEOTRYAGAIN* TAKE PRIDE IN AMERICA http://www.doi.gov/news/front_current.html **1803-2003** "LOUSIANA PURCHASE" http://www.lapurchase.org "LEWIS AND CLARK EXPADITION" http://lewisclark.geog.missouri.edu/ Initial Points Page http://www.True-Meridiansubscribe@yahoogroups.com Quote Link to comment
+Sissy-n-CR Posted August 30, 2003 Share Posted August 30, 2003 quote:Originally posted by Lone Duck:Funny... they did that with Prohibition and there are those who run Stills to this day. The same with tobacco, specifically cigarettes. There are people who traffic in cigerettes to get around the taxes levied on them. Legalizing something doesn't necessarily remove the criminal element from it. No, of course not. But you will remove the vast majority of it. Plus, we won't be wasting millions of dollars destroying ditchweed in the name of cleaning up pot, not to mention much larger problems. So, tell me. What's the percentage of illegal alcohol versus legal? What's the precentage of hot/bootleg cigarettes smoked versus fully licensed, taxed ones? That arguement really doesn't fly as people will steal and/or traffic in literally anything. Don't think a truck load of toilet paper would get stolen? Tell that to the Schnieder driver who had his trailer broken into and about a third of his load missing. If you're going to outlaw something because a criminal (appologies Criminal) element may be associated with it, then you might as well outlaw breathing because people huff, sex because of prostitution, and eating because of food theft. There is absolutely no legitimate reason why cannabis shouldn't be legal that can't be applied to many other legal products. Prohibition is simply a misguided moralistic issue, not a true social problem. The social problems associated with it are caused by that very prohibition--kind of a self fulfilling prophecy. With all of the above said, the criminal element doesn't belong in our backyard or our playground. I'd report, too. CR Quote Link to comment
+Freelens&Mosie Posted August 30, 2003 Share Posted August 30, 2003 Uhhhh.... I was going to say something profound...but I forget what..... forget what...did I already say that? Wisdom comes with age... but sometimes age comes alone. Quote Link to comment
peetz Posted August 31, 2003 Share Posted August 31, 2003 With our govenment making all these dadgum cutbacks.....people have to make a living somehow Quote Link to comment
red falcon Posted August 31, 2003 Share Posted August 31, 2003 That is so true! Quote Link to comment
+GEO*Trailblazer 1 Posted September 1, 2003 Share Posted September 1, 2003 Just a few more facts. Acids,Bases and Salts All synthesized drugs are made from(Petroleum)or an oranic substance,mixed in (Solvent) alcohol and Sulphuric Acid.(Acids) Is that not a coincidence the oil companies and the ore producing companies are being supplied by the Railroads....and the Alcohol makers. While puffing on their big cigars and making all these other things that may be healthful,illegal.....oh the delima of those whom are not educated.... But you are right 30 or 40 plants is not for personal use....that is a little too much to say that.And I would have done the same thing. As far as booby traps I have encountered them myself,shotgun trip wires, as well as a machine gun in the belly,so I know your fears there,I am still here though and a wise and prudent person can get his a** out of a jam if you try hard enough. WHEN ALL ELSE FAILS *GEOTRYAGAIN* TAKE PRIDE IN AMERICA http://www.doi.gov/news/front_current.html **1803-2003** "LOUSIANA PURCHASE" http://www.lapurchase.org "LEWIS AND CLARK EXPADITION" http://lewisclark.geog.missouri.edu/ Arkansas Missouri Geocachrs Association http://www.ARK-MOGeocachersAssociatoin@msnusers.com http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Ark-Mo-Geocachers Quote Link to comment
+Flyin Pirate Posted September 19, 2003 Share Posted September 19, 2003 Just yesterday, I was geocaching and found two large buckets that had been painted with a camouflage pattern. One was tipped over and broken, another was 20 feet away and standing upright, filled with soil. I would guess these once contained a couple of marijuana plants. I saw a similiar set-up while working a few years ago. Police recovered a plant on a small island growing in a large bucket. Certainly not to the scale as previously described! I frequently see pot growing in farmers fields hidden in with regular crops while flying. In my area it's usually hidden in corn fields. The "Flyin Pirate" aka: Jon Quote Link to comment
+Alan2 Posted September 19, 2003 Share Posted September 19, 2003 Corn fields? They just busted a guy growing millons of dollars worth of pot in his apartment. Hundred of plants 5 feet tall. One room was for growing (he had some sort of irrigation system), the second room for drying and the third I'm not sure. The cops busted him after receiving calls of an overwhelming pot oder in the neighborhood right there in Manhattan in Chinatown!! Scheesh Please pass the soy sauce! Alan Quote Link to comment
+shegget Posted September 20, 2003 Share Posted September 20, 2003 Check this out... Southwestern suburb of Chicago. Quote Link to comment
M15a4spr Posted September 22, 2003 Share Posted September 22, 2003 quote:Originally posted by Lone Duck:Funny... they did that with Prohibition and there are those who run Stills to this day. The same with tobacco, specifically cigarettes. There are people who traffic in cigerettes to get around the taxes levied on them. Legalizing something doesn't necessarily remove the criminal element from it. _That Quack Cacher:_ _Lone Duck_ Really, and when was the last time you heard of someone getting shot over either? Bloods 'n cripts running stills in your area? hmmm Why did it take a constitutional amend to ban alch, but any 1/2 wit polititian can get a drug law passed? No, i don't use, I'm just for keeping govt out of people's personal lives. Quote Link to comment
+Ed & Julie Posted October 6, 2003 Share Posted October 6, 2003 Be VERY careful. Mark it as a waypoint, and get the hell out. Locally, we just had officers shoot 2 mexican nationals hired to guard a major grow who drew down on the officers (a 3rd was taken into custody). Note where the grow is, and run (don't walk) to the nearest law enforcement agency. Ed (of Ed & Julie) Quote Link to comment
evilrooster Posted October 7, 2003 Share Posted October 7, 2003 I grew up in Humboldt County, CA (known at the time as the Emerald Triangle), so none of this is news to me. I'm surprised it hasn't come up before in the forums (or maybe it has; no need to Markwell me, guys!) I used to know lots of people who were involved in growing. Not like, not approve of, but at least know. Let me explain why they're doing what they do. Up where I was, there were no jobs to speak of. The land isn't very fertile, cattle are expensive to raise, the timber industry is dead, tourism isn't really an option, and gold panning and firefighting aren't exactly steady incomes. But dope is easy money. Now, growing on your own land is stupid. Basically, if you have used assets in the production of illegal drugs, the government can confiscate those assets. (I hear the DEA speedboat auctions in Florida are a great source of good kit.) Many of the folks I knew had nothing else but their land, and weren't keen on losing that. The "best" option was to grow on government land. It had a kind of "thumb your nose at the Man" logic. (The second best option was to grow on someone else's land, but that leads to local feuds and other bad stuff. I digress, though, since we're mostly talking public land here.) These patches are valuable. They're people's only source of income in hard times, the product of work (however illegal), and in locations that take time to scout out and develop. Some growers think that sort of investment is worth protecting, and some of them will do it violently. I suspect that a certain proportion of the Bigfoot hunters and vacationers who vanish in the mountains every year are in shallow graves somewhere after stumbling on the wrong patch. I'm not in favor of dope growing, though I've moved so far away that it's really not my problem any more. And I'm certainly not in favor of booby-trapping dope patches. But the situation does exist. Your decision whether or not to carry a weapon when caching notwithstanding, be careful out there. A land mine doesn't care if you have a handgun. If you find some marajuana plants in the woods, here's my advice. 1. Take a waypoint. 2. Get out of there. Back out, in your own footsteps if possible, then leave the area. Don't wait around. 3. Report your findings to the authorities. The county sheriff's department is probably your best bet. 4. Report your experience to the cache owner. If it's close to a cache, maybe that's a cache that should be disabled for a few weeks until the patch is gone. evilrooster http://www.bookweb.sunpig.com -the email of the species is deadlier than the mail - [This message was edited by evilrooster on October 07, 2003 at 08:28 AM.] Quote Link to comment
+Brian - Team A.I. Posted October 10, 2003 Share Posted October 10, 2003 quote:Originally posted by Chris&Cindy: The government spends all this money fighting weed and they let almost http://www.drugwarfacts.org/causes.htm people die from alcohol and tobbaco to a rate of about 17,000 from ALL illicit drugs combined.(I don't by the fact that there was 0 weed related deaths. Someone had a DUI in there and killed themselves or someone else) Marijuana makes up for almost none of that percent, though. I am not anti tobbaco as that is self inflicted but of the 110,000 alcohol deaths http://www.madd.org/stats/0,1056,1112_1_10,00.html (2001) people died in DUI auto crashes. Weed isn't as big a problem as folks make it out to be. We have bigger fish to fry. Just my .02 cents worth. When in doubt...hit it with a big hammer. Funny you mention the LOW percentage of marijuana related DUIs and their subsequent fatalities. If you lived closer, I'd invite you to a weekend night at the East Valley DUI Task Force. Sure, a large percentage of those arrested are alcohol-related, but you'd be shocked at the number of drug-related DUIs that come in, specifically from pot. One of our officers was killed by someone under the influence of marijuana and methampetamine, when his car was struck from behind at a high rate of speed. Quote Link to comment
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.