Deputies astounded by Pot Plant Discovery

[undeterred]

A significant portion of the Navarino Wildlife Reserve is closed following a surprising discovery. The Shawano County Sheriff's Department reports thousands of marijuana plants growing in the closed area. The discovery came following a tip. When a hunter asked to use Sarah Wilber's phone, she thought nothing of it, until she heard why. "He came knocking on our door, and said that there was a four-acre opening of marijuana growing, shocking!"

It's not clear if that tip sparked the search, but choppers were in the air today, and Shawano County deputies were in the woods pulling plants, counting plants, and putting them into evidence. The woods are thick in the search area. The chief deputy says they had to use bulldozers to plow through the forest. An area Wilber knows well. "There's only trails to get back to places, and after that you're pretty much on your own."

Hunters like Ernie Gonzalez also know this area well, and are surprised at the news. "Pretty scary, you'd like to think that this is more of a hunting area. Keep things natural, don't want crazy stuff going on."

The state patrol secured a three mile stretch of highway "K" that runs through the wildlife area. The sheriff's department is releasing little information leaving people in this area to hunt for answers. Mike Wadel is one of them. "I'm wondering if I walked through it or anything turkey hunting this year, wouldn't have noticed it I guess."

http://www.nbc26.com/Global/story.asp?S=11308691

SHAWANO (WKOW) -- Drug agents say it may be one of the largest organized drug grows in the state.

Nearly 80 law enforcement officials from nine agencies destroyed about 8,000 marijuana plants from 12 grow sites in the Navarino Wildlife Area in the eastern part of the state on Tuesday. Authorities say they dismantled four camp and work sites and processed them for evidence. Shawano County Sheriff Randall Wright said the growing operation had been abandoned for some time, and there was a substantial amount of marijuana harvested before authorities learned about it.

http://www.wkowtv.com/Global/story.asp?S=11313552

[arcadian]

1. Where is this place again?

[undeterred]

7. Shawano county in eastern Wisconsin

I believe its Green Bay Packers country.

[no limit]

13. We taking a field trip?

[roguevalley]

30. they need to keep this shit out of parks. people get killed stumbling

onto these patches.

[arcadian]

40. What kind of idiot grows in a National Park any way?

Ups up to a Federal offense instantly.

[roguevalley]

41. california parks are riddled with this stuff

[Swamp Rat]

2. pure evil

destroying Mother Nature :(

[vadawg]

8. yeah like the growers didnt kill off the plants already there when they cleared the area

or is it that some plants are more mother nature than others. The guy is just lucky he didnt become a statistic...

[Fumesucker]

12. Right.. The growers brought in bulldozers to clear the area before they planted..

;)

[vadawg]

15. lol you ever gardened, weeded etc etc, you dont think that any of the plants that where there

were not hurt of killed in this production, i was laughing at the previous poster caring about one plant and not another... :)

[Fumesucker]

24. A pair of PHD's, some soil amendments..

You don't have to make that big an impression to add a plant here and there.

Tear up too much and it becomes obvious what you're doing.

Oh, and cannabis is a weed, it will outgrow most of the other weeds so weeding isn't strictly necessary.

Or so I hear anyway...

[vadawg]

27. well when you come across the grows it sure as hell aint natural

especially the big ones, there is a lot of damage done, these guys are not into organic farming per se, they do what they can to get maximun yield, and the bigger grows really do a lot of damage to the area...

[Fumesucker]

31. It all could be brought to a screeching halt in a single afternoon..

With nothing but the stroke of a pen.

But that would require courageous and farsighted politicians who aren't in the pocket of big pharma and big law enforcement so I expect it to happen shortly after I grow wings and fly to Betelgeuse.

[Swamp Rat]

17. I would bet a million dollars (if I had it) that you are a cop.

Am I right?

[vadawg]

19. lol yep what gave me away (the smell of bacon)

[Swamp Rat]

21. LOL! Busted!

:D

[mitchum]

38. I read that book last week

it was quite enjoyable

[closeupready]

20. Marijuana actually grows wild in many places, the Midwest being one.

n/t

[Swamp Rat]

22. And the Gulf Coast too.

It's a ready hardy, and useful plant. Too bad dumb humans destroy it for no good reason.

[vadawg]

28. well until the law changes it will continue to happen

you need to go shout at the politicians and not the street cop who has to enforce the laws...

[Swamp Rat]

29. Street cops should not enforce this moronic law

I've known quite a few police officers who do not enforce this idiotic law because it distracts them from protecting the public from real criminals, and they, as well as criminologist, know it is plainly wrong and stupid.

And please, no lectures about having 'no choice but to uphold the law'. This same rhetoric was employed during the defense of those who committed world's most evil crimes against humanity.

Even Russia has decriminalised Marijuana use. Sadly, the USA appears to share the same values regarding marijuana use as the world's most repressive and "evil" regimes.

[vadawg]

32. lol yes those evil and repressive regimes like sweden, norway and finland

at least going by the map. I am just wondering if i can choose not to enforce the laws you dont like what other ones is is ot not to enforce if someone else dosent like, how about domestic violence, or DUI, or theft....

[Swamp Rat]

33. Hêia, I lived in Norway. How about you?

Hvordan står det til med deg? :hi: ... ok, I do not speak much Norwegian (I asked 'how are you' :D ), but I can say most Norwegians think the anti-drug laws are highly repressive and blame the bad, manipulative influence of the USA.

As far as domestic violence, the police do a much better job in the Scandinavian countries (from what I have read in the past)... I don't know about DUI, but I imagine they have a real tough job according to what I saw. :D :beer:

[vadawg]

34. rofl, lived in sweden for a while due to being shacked up with a swedish chick

saw plenty off dope around, but as i said mate im not interested in the user unless they can give me a bigger fish, but i am against the gangs who grow the shit and use it to finance other shit.....

[Swamp Rat]

35. Good, I am glad you are doing this.

However, this also supports the argument to end prohibition in general. Those thugs, you so diligently track down and capture, would not be able to profit from the illegal drug trade, and therefore lose most of the money they need to buy guns.

[vadawg]

36. you could be right mate, problem is then i have to fight the stoners for the donuts

i only got a couple of hundred rounds on me, i think the stoners would be thick on the ground, like a zombie movie... :)

[paulsby]

39. street cops, myself included

DO have discretion (in many agencies) for minor misdmemeanor mj offenses. an officer can simply have the person dispose of, at the scene, a small amount of mj.

i do not, and most officers do not, have discretion if we come up felony weight or a grow. if i looked the other way, after discovering a grow, i could likely be fired.

it's not my fault, or any cop's fault, that mj is illegal. many of us think decrim or legalization is the way to go.

it's the LEGISLATURE's fault!
period.

only they, and in some states - the people through citizen initiative, can change the law.

[NOW tense]

3. Driving Bulldozers through the forest isn't crazy stuff? n/t

[Truth2Tell]

4. Forests are for shooting animals,

not growing plants. Sheesh.

[tama]

23. Shees

and sporty shooting animals only for aristocrats who "own" the forests, not for common peasent "poachers" and other gatherer-gardeners...

[undeterred]

37. So a hunter comes to your door asking to use the phone

to report marijuana growing... like its some kind of emergency. No way would I let somebody armed and shocked by marijuana come inside!

[la_chupa]

5. uh yea I wouldn't have noticed it either

:yoiks:

[piratefish08]

6. aaaaaaaahhhh...... I gotta run.................

:wtf:

:yoiks:

[Gold Metal Flake]

9. Legailize it.

Stop this crazy shit.

[redqueen]

16. +1

[Chulanowa]

10. Jesus fucking christ...

You'd think Osama bin Ladin was hiding in there the way they went after it.

[mikelgb]

11. idiots

The chief deputy says they had to use bulldozers to plow through the forest. How much did that cost? For what? Evidence? :crazy:

[notesdev]

14. Ah yes the old "putting them into evidence" routine

complete with potency testing, I bet

[Gman2]

18. The pieces of shit COULD donate them to patients that cannot afford their meds.

[gatorboy]

25. "Pretty scary, you'd like to think that this is more of a hunting area. Keep things natural"

That quote is all kinds of wonderfully stupid.

Keep things natural. What are they? Plastic pot plants? While we BULLDOZE our way in!

Yes it's very SCARY! It's the Day of the fuckin' Triffids!

[Matariki]

26. War Against Nature

Idiots. Bulldozers!?!

[bertman]

42. ". . . one of the largest organized drug grows . . . ". Drug grows?? Whoever wrote that

is definitely sampling the evidence.

Drug grows!!!


:rofl: :rofl: :rofl:

[Cali_Democrat]

43. Why do they want to destroy nature? Let the plants grow!!

Bastards!! :grr: