Multi-Agency Effort Eradicates Pot Caches in Local Mountains

• Largest of Three Marijuana Plantations Was Located in the Trancas-Zuma Area

BY SUZANNE GULDIMANN

Malibu was the scene of a multi-agency drug bust last week, when a team of Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department officials, federal agents, National and State park rangers and Mountains Recreation Conservation Authority personnel descended on a trio of illegal marijuana plantations hidden on state and national parkland in the Santa Monica Mountains. The LASD was the lead agency and is reported to have initially uncovered the illegal operations.
The largest of the three plantations was located on National Park Service land in Trancas-Zuma Canyon in an area that officials are describing as a wildlife corridor. Law enforcement agents discovered and eradicated 1421 plants at the site, according to a press release.
National Park Service Public Affairs Specialist Lauren Newman told the Malibu Surfside News that cleanup at the site is still underway, and that the exact location is not being released for security and safety reasons.
Although rumors are circulating that the pot growers may have been accessing the location from the Edison service road, the participating law enforcement agencies were observed using helicopters to airlift the bundled contraband out of the rugged and remote area.
Newman confirmed that fertilizer and pesticides, including rodenticide, were discovered at the site. Irrigation piping, camping equipment, propane tanks, car batteries and quantities of garbage and human waste were also reportedly removed from Zuma Canyon site.
Two additional plantations were located and eradicated at Malibu Creek State Park during the same sting operation. A press release states that officials estimate that the cost to clean up one cultivated acre is between $10,000-$12,000.
An NPS representative confirmed that the harm caused in the Zuma Canyon location by vegetation clearing, soil disturbance, pesticides, synthetic fertilizer, human waste contamination and the potential impact of rodenticide on predators, ranging from mountain lions and bobcats to hawks and owls, is “incalculable.” There are unconfirmed reports that there was also evidence of a campfire at the site.
No arrests were reportedly made during the sting. Authorities say that operations of this type are generally operated by organized drug cartels.
“It’s a good idea to stay on the trail when you’re hiking,” Newman told The News. “If you see something suspicious, call 911 or tell a ranger. Don’t investigate on your own.” Authorities say those suspicious things may include irrigation pipes in remote areas, dams placed in creeks or streams, or even an absence of wildlife.
In 2007, approximately 3900 marijuana plants were found on National Park Service land in Trancas Canyon. In 2005, 28,000 plants were destroyed in Malibu Creek State Park. In 2008, 3,641,328 marijuana plants were seized on state and federal public lands in California.
Park officials have called the illegal farming activity a serious threat to the environment and to the safety of wildlife and park visitors.
Additional air and land surveillance is expected to remain ongoing throughout those areas of the Malibu mountains that would be suitable locations for harvesting one of the state’s largest cash crops, irrespective of its legal status.