RSSPot in state a growing problem
Yakima Herald-Republic
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YAKIMA -- Washington's nickname, the Evergreen State, could soon have a different meaning for police.
Seizures of marijuana plants statewide more than doubled to 296,611 last year, a trend that unabated could see Washington rival California as the nation's No. 1 producer of the illicit drug, state and federal drug agents warn.
The scope of seizures equals that of California seven to 10 years ago, according to U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration Special Agent Matt Duran.
Since then, it's only gotten worse for the Golden State, where 3 million plants were seized last year, said Duran, who spoke this week to the Washington Association of Sheriffs and Police Chiefs, which held its annual spring conference at the Yakima Convention Center.
"It's kind of the prediction for our future," Duran said. "It's going to get worse before it gets better."
The Office of National Drug Control Policy reports Washington was second in the nation for intdoor marijuana production and third in outdoor growing last year, Washington State Patrol Lt. Rich Wiley said.
California was first in both categories, he said.
"And compared to California, we have very limited resources," he added. "They do marijuana eradication for six months straight while we're lucky if we can afford to do it for five weeks."
The top counties for outside marijuana production in 2007 include Klickitat, Yakima, Grant, Franklin and Skamania. Law enforcement said marijuana growers prefer remote tribal areas. Last year, 102,379 plants were seized on tribal lands, much of it from the Yakama reservation.
In 2004, the discovery of 65,000 plants on Yakama tribal land near Satus Pass was believed to be the biggest seizure in state history.
Duran said there's an increasing problem of indoor marijuana growing operations in King, Pierce and Snohomish counties. In 2007, King County had more indoor growing operations than some counties had outdoor operations, with 26,359 plants seized.
Duran said sometimes homes were purchased in well-to-do neighborhoods where neighbors had no clue what was happening. The homes were "packed" with marijuana plants while growers tapped into the area's electric lines to power indoor lamps. Growers go so far as to use carbon filters to mask odors and they set booby traps to injure intruders, he said.
In Yakima County, one such indoor operation was found near Moxee in 2006. A garage fire at a house on Birchfield Road led to the discovery of about 2,000 plants in shipping containers and in the basement. Fire investigators said the blaze most likely started because of the jury-rigged power setup for the lights and heating lamps.
Duran said some west side homes are bought and run by Vietnamese operators who send the drug money back to their home country. He said there may be 30 to 50 such operations statewide that the DEA knows about, and more that they don't.
"It's just going to get worse and worse," he warned, adding, "It's spreading through the United States."
But while criminals are getting more sophisticated, so is law enforcement. Duran said increased seizures last year was partially due to investigators getting more leads and information about where the marijuana operations are going to be located before the growing season, typically between May and September.
Also, helicopters drop in police, eliminating the need to hike for hours to reach remote sites. Certain trees have been identified as being grown specifically by drug dealers to hide marijuana plants from aerial spotters but allow sunlight through.
If these trees are spotted in the middle of nowhere, there's a chance that a marijuana crop is waiting to be discovered, Duran said.
He said officers and agents must go into an area fully armed because some growers live on the land and guard their crops with firearms.
A couple of years ago, growers in Sacramento, Calif., shot a Forest Service employee in the legs with an AK-47 after he stumbled upon their operation, Duran said.
"It's getting way more serious -- hikers could walk right into one of the growing operations," he said. "The lives of the public are in danger on these lands."
* Rod Antone can be reached at 577-7628 or rantone@yakimaherald.com.
EDITOR'S NOTE: This story has been updated to correct erroneous information that appeared in the originally published version.
