Document text
65 °F Forecast | Road Cams Thursday, September 16, 2004 Today's News | Classifieds | Autos | Homes | Jobs | Tempo | Health | Community | Home Delivery SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion - Politics Tempo AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map SPECIAL SECTIONS Since We Asked Outdoor Journal How To Guide Wellness Connection Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Wedding Guide Rogue Valley's Finest EXTRA Newspaper in Education Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People MARKETPLACE Find a Car Find a Home Find a Job Classifieds Place an ad eSouthernOregon Automotive Communities Entertainment Publications Recreation Calendar CUSTOMER SERVICE Frequent Questions Advertising Information Home Delivery Employment Contact Us Media Kit Network Affiliate Oregon Road Conditions & Cams Email Story to a Friend August 25, 2004 Pot harvest season brings warning Forest Service cop says marijuana growers are armed and possibly trigger-happy By PAUL FATTIG Mail Tribune If you stumble upon a suspicious structure while hiking in a remote section of a local national forest, don’t investigate. Instead, beat feet and call Lee Fox at 541-471-6900. Fox is the top cop for the U.S. Forest Service in Southwest Oregon, supervising law enforcement staff on the Rogue River, Siskiyou and Umpqua national forests. With harvest time approaching for illegal marijuana gardens and the increased potential for conflict because of the growing influence of drug trafficking organizations, Fox is warning forest visitors as well as agency employees and contractors to be cautious. "These people are different — they are extremely protective and violent," said Fox, who has worked in national forest law enforcement in Southern Oregon and Northern California for nearly 20 years. Advertisement Unlike pot growers in the past who had smaller gardens, today’s growers may have large gardens of 1,000 to 10,000 plants as well as armed guards, officials said. "It’s a different sort of doper out there now," he said. The effort to eradicate pot- growing operations on federal land in California has pushed the growers to other sites, including Oregon, in hopes they won’t be detected, he said. "The isolation and limited access to remote areas of the forest lessens the likelihood of detection, but there is potential for forest visitors to accidentally come upon an active illegal marijuana garden, especially at this time of year when harvesting may be occurring," he said. The Forest Service is working closely with the Jackson, Josephine, Douglas and Lane counties sheriff’s departments and with agents from the federal Drug Enforcement Administration. About 5,000 marijuana plants were discovered in three large gardens in the three forests last year, resulting in 14 felony arrests, Fox said. "We’re not working these cases today, but we know they are out there," he said. "We put the pressure on California so they are relocating in other states." In California, officers have come across armed guards, barbed wire fences and booby traps, he said, noting that officers killed five growers two years ago. "There are a lot of firearm issues now," he said. "People who typically live in these gardens feel that if they lose the marijuana someone will threaten their families at home. "...Many of these people who are out there (in illegal gardens) have a propensity to take ... shots at the snap of a twig," he said. "The fact they are willing to do that makes it more dangerous." Most of the pot is harvested in September and into October, he said. "That’s during a bunch of hunting seasons when people will be out there," he said. The growers tend to plant marijuana plants under partial canopies to escape aerial detection, he said. "Right now, we’re trying to raise awareness so our employees and the public will know about this," he said, adding, "We want anyone who sees marijuana out there to get out of there and call us." Reach reporter Paul Fattig at 776-4496 or e-mail him at [email protected] What to look for U.S. Forest Service law enforcement officer Lee Fox says signs of a potential commercial marijuana garden on national forest land include: Isolated tents or trailers where no other recreational activity is present. A pattern of vehicle traffic or a particular vehicle seen in the same isolated area on a regular basis. Unusual structures in remote areas, along with buckets, garden tools, fertilizer bags and large amounts of garbage. Signs of cultivation as well as the presence of black plastic pipe used for irrigation. Mail Tribune Home Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life Opinion - Politics | AP News | Archives | Site Map E Southern Oregon | Classified Copyright © 1997-2004 Mail Tribune. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions Website Feedback ADVERTISERS A D V E R T I S E R S SPECIAL SECTIONS Auto Finder Job Finder Home Finder Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Tempo Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Since We Asked Outdoor Journal Moving to Southern Oregon? Volunteer Opportunities