Every year innocent hunters and outdoorsmen accidentally stumble onto illegal drug farms and labs. The potentail for injury and loss of life is high since many of these places may be booby trapped or guarded by caretakers who shoot first and ask questions later.
According to the National Drug Intelligence Center Marijuana and Methamphetamine Trafficking on Federal Lands Threat Assessment of February 2005 The majority of the marijuana seizures occured on public land in California.  The real concern is that these large scale seizures are  operations funded and operated by Mexican drug trafficking organizations (organized crime).  
Top Ten National Forests for Eradication of Marijuana on Forest Service Lands in 2003

Map of DOJ Smarijuana seizures

What to be on the look out for to avoid confrontations with Illegal Pot Farms:

  • Fences with warning signs made stronger and taller than typical livestock fences
  • Buried black water line a long ways from houses or buildings
  • Trash such as: discarded egg cartons or foam cups with dirt inside (used to grow seedlings),Discarded “grow bags” ,trash bags with holes cut in them, or Empty fertilizer bags
  • Tarps hidden under dirt or brush

    • What to do if you encounter a marijuana farm:
    Don’t holler to your buddies that “I FOUND A POT FARM!”.
    Back out on the route you took in being cautious for booby traps.
    Once you are back to a familiar place you feel comfortable, you can alert your companions either on the radio with a pre-determined code word such as “That big canyon is too full of poison oak”. The pot farmers may have scanners. In any case, it is an area you want to avoid.
    The same is true for pubic land in the midwest for Methanphetamine production.
    Top Five National Forests for Methamphetamine Laboratory Seizures, January 2002 to December 2003
    Meth seizures on public land highest in the midwest.

    Drug labs present more of a health hazard to the people around them according to the Minnesota Department of health, what you should do if you discover a Drug lab:

    What to do if you find a meth lab
    An individual who believes he or she has discovered an illegal drug lab or the site of an abandoned lab should immediately notify local law enforcement (Dial 911) and should not enter the area of the suspected lab. Anyone who inadvertently enters a lab should back out immediately without disturbing the cooking process, chemicals or equipment.

    Local law enforcement are encouraged to notify the Minnesota Duty Officer (1-800-422-0798) and the local city or county public health agency. Depending on the severity of contamination, the type of site and the individuals involved, one or more of the following agencies may need to be involved in investigation, evaluation, sampling or remediation of the site:

    Officers responding to a drug lab call may also decide to notify one or more of the following:

    Local: fire department, bomb squads, hazardous materials (Hazmat) teams, city/county attorney, county agriculture, city/county health and licensing authorities, animal control, household hazardous waste, child protection, or other human service agency
    State: Minnesota Duty Officer (1-800-422-0798), Highway Patrol, Pollution Control Agency, Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, Departments of Agriculture, Health, Natural Resources or Transportation, or the Attorney General
    Federal: Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA), Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
    Private: environmental cleanup company, poison control center, hospital or clinic

    The El Dorado County Search and Rescue has a reference page on how to recognize if you have stumbled onto a illegal drug operation.

    Unfortunately today we have to deal with the possibility of illegal drug operations on public or private lands. It is always good to have a plan for how you will react if you stumble on to one.

    Related Posts

    No related posts.