7 Marijuana Gardens Seized and Destroyed
Authorities have seized seven marijuana gardens spread across 10 acres, the second such raid in Madera County in a month.
A tipster led officials to 4,194 budding plants, authorities said. The gardens, with fertilizer and drip irrigation system valued at about $13 million, were destroyed Tuesday.
“It looked like these guys had been trained in the vineyards,” said a sheriff’s spokeswoman, Erica Stuart. “There was so much care and detail put into these groves.”
No suspects were arrested, and the gardens appeared to have been abandoned, Stuart said.
Litter was scattered throughout the area, and authorities found four sleeping bags and beer cans with bullet holes. Food supplies at the site appeared to have been ripped open by bears.
On July 21, police seized a pot garden in rural Ahwahnee with more than 300 plants valued at about $1.1 million. Remijio Delamora, 65, of Merced and Eliseo Olivera, 48, of Rosemead were arrested on suspicion of cultivating marijuana for sale.
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