MENDOCINO NATIONAL FOREST – A team of law enforcement officials seized approximately 17,978 illegally grown marijuana plants in the Mendocino National Forest during a two-day operation, according to a Wednesday report.

The Glenn County Sheriff’s Office Marijuana Eradication Team (MET) operation took the plants from three separate grow sites, according to Glenn County Sheriff Larry Jones.

Jones said MET, assisted by the state's Campaign Against Marijuana Planting (CAMP) and members of the US Forest Services Law Enforcement Branch, took 3,894 plants in the Twin Rocks area, 11,881 from the Heifer Ridge area and another 2,203 plants from the Freshwater Drainage.

Potential street value of these plants, if allowed to grow to maturity and processed for sales, would exceed $70 million, according to Jones.

All grows were consistent with those of large drug trafficking organizations, Jones said.

The grow site complexes were discovered during aerial reconnaissance flights. Jones said some grows were found three and a half miles from forest roads but near good water sources within the national forest.

Camps were found at the sites, however, Jones said the growers had fled the areas prior to entrance by law enforcement.

Clean up of the grows will be supervised by the US Forest Service, Jones said.

Jones urged anyone with information regarding these, or other marijuana plantations on public lands, to contact their local law enforcement agency.

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