Local law enforcement officers find marijuana growing in Zuma

By Stephanie Bertholdo Acorn Staff Writer

POT FOUND-- Capt. Tom Martin, left, and another officer display marijuana that was found growing in Zuma Canyon. Peace officers also found a scarecrow and an irrigation system for watering the crop. The plants were worth about $500,000, according to authorities.

After months of investigation, the Malibu/Lost Hills Sheriff’s Station narcotics bureau and marijuana enforcement team discovered and harvested 352 marijuana plants in Zuma Canyon last Friday.

The estimated street value of the marijuana exceeds $500,000, said Capt. Tom Martin at a press conference on Friday where the marijuana was displayed on the steps of the station and in a truck.

The investigation used helicopter surveillance of the area, which is part of public land in a recreation area. Eventually, a foot patrol discovered the high-grade, mature plants that ranged in size from six to eight feet.

Martin said that irrigation equipment and even a scarecrow were found at the site.

"A half a million (dollars worth of marijuana) is sitting out here today," Martin said. But he added, "We have no arrests."

Martin explained that in addition to marijuana being illegal, environmental damage is a side effect of cultivating marijuana crops. Since traditional water sources aren’t available, marijuana farmers create their own and disrupt the environment with plastic irrigation pipes or by damming up lakes and streams, Martin said. "These areas are remote, desolate and difficult to get to on foot."

More than 10,000 plants have been eradicated since the beginning of the year, Martin said, adding that an estimated $15 million worth of marijuana "has not gone to the street."

The Narcotics Bureau Marijuana Enforcement Team (MET) was formed in 1991 due to an increase in marijuana fields in the Angeles National Forest and the Santa Monica Mountains. According to an information sheet distributed at the sheriff’s station, the MET team receives specialized training, including some that’s used by military forces.

Each plant at harvest yields about one pound of marijuana—about $1,500 per pound.