8,100 Marijuana Plants Seized on Peninsula

More than 8,100 marijuana plants worth over $28 million were  seized from grow sites in the San Mateo County mountains during August and  early September.

The San Mateo County Narcotics Task Force -- working in  conjunction with the U.S. Forest Service, the Department of Fish and  Wildlife, the California Air National Guard and sheriff's offices in Santa  Clara and San Mateo counties -- combed the coastal ranges and raided around a  dozen marijuana grow sites, many of which tapped into available water sources  for irrigation, Task Force Commander John Munsey said.

Officers located the secluded sites by flying over and hiking  through a wide mountainous area south of state Highway 92 to the border of  San Mateo and Santa Clara counties, Munsey said.

No suspects were located and no arrests were made during the  raids, Munsey said.

Along with the pot plants, officers hauled out around 4 tons of  garbage, which included propane tanks, fertilizers, pesticides, rodent  poison, stoves, sleeping bags, tarps, and thousands of feet of irrigation  tubing, Munsey said.
   
Officers also seized a 12-gauge shotgun with multiple types of  ammunition, he said.

The investigation into the grow operations is ongoing.