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Updated: Federal Agents Raid Marijuana Farm On Pit River Tribal Land


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http://www.redding.com/news/local-news/reports-of-possible-marijuana-drug-raid-on-pit-river-tribal-land   UPDATED: Federal agents raid marijuana farm on Pit River tribal land
Jenny Espino
9:49 AM, Jul 8, 2015
6:14 PM, Jul 8, 2015
 
 
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IMAGE FROM DEA SEARCH WARRANT
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ALTURAS, California - Federal drug enforcement agents raided two marijuana growing facilities on Pit River tribal land in Alturas early Wednesday morning.

Agents with the Bureau of Indian Affairs and the Drug Enforcement Administration served a warrant on two large-scale marijuana cultivation facilities on federally recognized tribal lands at the Alturas Indian Rancheria and the XL Ranch in Modoc County.

 At both sites law enforcement seized at least 12,000 marijuana plants and more than 100 pounds of processed marijuana, according to a news release issued from the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

“Other than contraband marijuana and items of evidentiary value, no tribal property was seized, and no federal charges are pending,” the news release said.

The search warrants are part of an ongoing investigation relating to the financing and management of the commercial marijuana-cultivation projects, it said.

The search warrant affidavits were unsealed Wednesday, it added.

“While it is generally the policy of the U.S. Attorney’s Office to decline commenting upon ongoing investigations, exceptions are sometimes made when a matter has received substantial publicity and there is a need to inform the community regarding law enforcement actions taken in furtherance of particular public interests,” the news release said. “The marijuana grows in question have received substantial attention in Modoc County, as has the U.S. Department of Justice’s guidance relating to marijuana cultivation on tribal lands.”

The cultivation facility at the Alturas Indian Rancheria was within the tribe’s former Event Center, within approximately 100 yards of the tribe’s publicly operated gaming facility, the Desert Rose Casino, the news release said.

The owner of the Rim Rock Motel, about 6 miles west of the facilities on Highway 395, said agents began to swarm the area about 7 a.m.

Rory Flick reported seeing agents with the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

The Pit River tribal office in Burney declined to comment but confirmed the tribe operates a 10-acre medical marijuana farm. A federal ruling in 2014 made it legal to grow and sell marijuana on sovereign lands.

Vernon “Pro” Ward, a tribal council person and the social services coordinator at the tribal office, said his office has been hearing “stuff.” But it’s all coming from secondary sources, he said.

“Tomorrow we have a meeting. We have not designated a spokesperson, so until that happens, mum’s the word,” he said.

Flick said residents are concerned that the area already has seen a number of large-scale marijuana grows busted by law enforcement and to now have a marijuana farm with “full-size commercial grain houses” is upsetting.

He noted that the facility is still under construction.

“Our question is, who are they growing it for? You’re talking about thousands of pounds of marijuana,” Flick said. “We don’t want that kind of traffic here. It brings criminal activity.

“We already see it happening around,” he said.

According to the warrant, the tribe planned to distribute the marijuana off its reservation.

The facility on the XL Ranch is adjacent to Highway 395 and the banks of the Pit River, and it consists of 40 newly constructed greenhouse structures, each of which was capable of accommodating approximately 1,000 marijuana plants, and an additional gable-roofed structure that boosted the square footage of roof-covered structures by another 50 percent, it said.

“Both of the grow operations, which appear to have been operating in conjunction with each other, were well in excess of the locally enacted marijuana cultivation limits applicable to county land,” the news release said from the U.S. Attorney’s office.

“The volume of marijuana that the XL facility alone was capable of producing, estimated at approximately 40,000-60,000 plants, far exceeds any prior known commercial marijuana grow operation anywhere within the 34-county Eastern District,” it said.

According to tribal representatives, all of the marijuana cultivated at both facilities was intended to be distributed off tribal lands at various unidentified locations, the news release states.

“As indicated in the search warrant affidavits, the investigation to date indicates both operations may have been financed by a third-party foreign national,” it added. The warrant names Jerry Montour as possibly  providing funds for the operation. Montour, 58, is the chief executive officer of cigarette manufacturer GRE, based out of Six Nations, Ontario, Canada. He has some criminal past, including a conviction in 1988 of running a smuggling operation moving 37 kilograms of marijuana from Mexico to Canada.

According to the news release, the investigation of the cultivation facilities indicates that both are commercial marijuana cultivation projects operated with the intent to transport large quantities of marijuana off tribal lands for distribution at various locations yet to be identified by the tribes.

“These facts raise multiple federal enforcement concerns, including the diversion of marijuana to places where it is not authorized and potential threats to public safety, both of which are listed priorities in Department of Justice guidelines,” the news release says. “These concerns are only heightened when the activity occurring off tribal lands is not subject to effective state or local regulation.”

It  also said the U.S. Attorney’s Office consulted with members and representatives of both tribes on multiple occasions before Wednesday’s raids.

“The U.S. Attorney’s Office reminded the tribes that the cultivation of marijuana is illegal under federal law and that anyone engaging in such activity did so at the risk of enforcement action,” the news release said.

“The U.S. Attorney’s Office also expressed concern that large-scale commercial marijuana grows on tribal lands have the potential to introduce quantities of marijuana in a manner that violates federal law, is not consistent with California’s Compassionate Use Act, and undermines locally enacted marijuana regulations,” it said.

Read the search warrant affidavit: Raid

 

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why the surprise?  econ 101, people!  in a new jersey marachino cherry plant warehouse, on indian reservations, on a far planet...in the basement of the state department where hillary had her office, there is no end to it.

somebody's going to put billion plant populations on pluto, and the stuff will be shipped to earth in a trip that lasts 11 years.

econ 101--production of

A N Y

given commodity will increase until the point is reached where the supply has driven price down below the cost to produce another unit.

(until it costs instead of profits to make another gram).

weedaganza bonzanza boys look at tall them crispy dollars just waitin' to be picked up!

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if there was $ to be made with solar panels, indian reservations would be covered with solar panels.  why are they covered with weedhouses?  after all, the gov (the Bureau of Indian Affairs), advised indians to build solar panel farms with the gushing cash proceeds from their cashinos.

but the darn rebellious tribes instead built a weed farm?  what? 

The tribes see what we see:  there is a strong and steady market well in excess of production costs for bud by the ton, whereas the market for electricity is in flux.

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