"In a press release on Thursday, the National Park Service said that it had removed a total of 2,377 full-grown marijuana plants and approximately 2,000lbs of trash and infrastructure last week by hand and helicopter sling-load operations. The site, which was initially detected and raided by law enforcement rangers in 2024, also contained a semi-automatic pistol and several hazardous chemicals. Among the chemicals included a gallon of Methamidophos, a highly toxic insecticide banned in the US since 2009, the NPS said."
"No arrests have been made and the investigation is ongoing. The NPS went on to identify various damages done to the site including diversion of the natural flow of water form a nearby creek and installation of irrigation lines, construction of several large pits to store diverted water from a nearby creek, significant clearing of natural vegetation, as well as digging of terraces into the hillsides for marijuana planting."
"The NPS pointed to environmental impacts of large marijuana cultivation sites in California's Central Valley, as a single marjuana plant uses six to eight gallons of water a day that would otherwise be used for other wildlife and vegetation. Over the last two decades, drug trafficking operations have run what the NPS described as large-scale operations in and around the Sequoia and Kings Canyon national parks."
Park rangers removed an illegal marijuana cultivation site spanning 13 acres in Sequoia National Park, removing 2,377 full-grown plants and about 2,000 pounds of trash and infrastructure by hand and helicopter. The site, detected and raided in 2024, contained a semi-automatic pistol and hazardous chemicals including a gallon of Methamidophos. Rehabilitation was delayed until this year because of chemical hazards. No arrests have been made and the investigation is ongoing. Identified damages include diverted creek flow, irrigation installation, large storage pits, extensive vegetation clearing, terraces dug into hillsides, campsites and illegal trails. The NPS warned of water use and pesticide runoff impacts on wildlife and vegetation.
#illegal-marijuana-cultivation #sequoia-national-park #environmental-contamination #waterresource-impacts
Read at www.theguardian.com
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