California State Parks authorities ripped out thousands of marijuana plants from numerous parks under its care as officials continue to struggle against illegal cannabis operations.
State authorities said the effort was undertaken to both enforce the law but also to protect native plants and the surrounding ecosystem from thirsty marijuana plants.
California State Parks says it has so far removed more than 25,000 marijuana plants being illegally cultivated on state parks land. At Anza-Borrego Desert State Park alone, California’s largest state park, nearly 4,700 cannabis plants were removed. That operation also saw authorities being forced to remove some 1,000 feet of irrigation line installed by drug traffickers and the 500 pounds of waste they left behind.
“Illegal cannabis cultivation poses a serious threat to California’s unmatched natural resources, and we continue to make progress identifying and eradicating grow sites in and around State Parks,” said State Parks Director Armando Quintero in a release.
At least seven people were arrested in the sting operation.
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Park Info
Park Name:
Anza-Borrego Desert State Park
Location:
California, USA
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