As Prices Fall, Farmers Turn to Illegal Cash Crops

[seemslikeadream]

Fresno County officer dumps marijuana plants to be burned. Half-dozen fields were uncovered in one month.
(Mark Crosse / Fresno Bee)

In the past month, Fresno County investigators have busted a half-dozen marijuana fields hidden by borders of cherry tomatoes. A more ideal camouflage crop — the tomato and the pot plant have similar leaves — would be hard to find. Nearly 40,000 squat but prolific bushes have been yanked out and set ablaze, an illicit harvest worth $40 million on the streets — more than last year's value for cherries or Valencia oranges or sweet corn in Fresno County.

Five lowland Lao refugees have been arrested and charged with cultivating marijuana for sale. The record heat of spring has not only pushed the vineyards and fruit orchards several weeks ahead of their growing cycles but matured the marijuana in half the time.

"This is the earliest in my 23 years as a narc that we've taken off so many marijuana plots," said Lt. Rick Hill of the Fresno County Sheriff's Department. "Usually, the plots we find are in the mountains, and they're mostly operated by gangs from Mexico. These new plots are down on the valley floor, and it's Southeast Asians who are growing them."

The tips, meanwhile, keep coming in. Last week, sheriff's deputies found 13 pounds of processed marijuana, $37,000 in cash and night-vision equipment in a house belonging to a lowland Lao. A storage facility rented by the same man produced two rifles, two handguns and 40 pounds of processed marijuana.

"It's hard to tell if it's one big operation or several smaller ones," Hill said. "I'm afraid we're on the front end of a trend."


Hao Khounmeuang plucks leaves from an eggplant. She says she has never seen a growing marijuana plant.
(Robert Durell / LAT)
http://ktla.trb.com/news/la-me-farm12may12,0,7983445.story?coll=ktla-news-1

[tridim]

1. When the economy goes to hell

and hope turns into never-ending fear, people will do what they gotta do to survive. It's instinctual.

[seemslikeadream]

2. Marijuana plants worth $40 million - surviving and then some

Fresno sheriff's officials agree that only a fraction of Southeast Asian truck farmers are involved in marijuana cultivation, and they have apologized to the refugees for public comments that suggest they are targets. But they warn that the illegal operations and all that they entail — such as the use of rifles and night-vision gear — can pose dangers.

Like the vegetables, the marijuana they raise is an unusual breed. Nurtured indoors and conditioned to grow no more than 3 feet tall, the bushy-leafed crop is easy to hide once transplanted. This season's first surveillance took narcotics officers to a Southeast Asian vegetable farm that stretched out over 40 acres, far bigger than most.

"About 25 acres were cropped, and 15 acres were being used for marijuana," Hill said. "I had farmers who walked their dogs every day along that property and all they saw was tomatoes."

Two men and a woman who spoke little English were arrested and charged with cultivating 12,000 illicit plants. As more tips flowed in, a half-dozen other busts came in quick succession.

http://ktla.trb.com/news/la-me-farm12may12,0,7983445.story?coll=ktla-news-1

[leQ]

3. killing off the middle class does that

n/t

[seemslikeadream]

4. Taking away their health insurance

helps with the die-off

[Taylor Mason Powell]

5. I'm sorry, but those farmers should be punished!

I mean, cherry tomatoes?! Ewwwwww!!