On the 28th August 2009 the US Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) published highlights of a raid in Colorado that occurred a week earlier. In a joint operation with both national and local agencies, the DEA announced the seizure of approximately 14,500 live marijuana plants and the arrests of two suspects that occurred on Friday, August 21, 2009, in the Pike National Forest, Colorado.
The seizure is believed to be the largest outdoor marijuana growing operation ever detected by law enforcement in Colorado. Thanks to the DEA for the picture of the crop which is shown above.
The following is a direct quote from the DEA website "The marijuana was being grown in the remote, rugged terrain of the Pike National Forest near Deckers, Colorado. As agents advanced on the grow site, an estimated seven to ten individuals were seen running from the area. Their sleeping bags and food items were recovered at the site. Information developed during the investigation determined that Mexican migrant workers had been recruited from outside the state of Colorado to harvest the marijuana plants, which were found to be between four to six feet tall."
Interesting to note that the cultivation appeared to be dependant on a migrant (probably illegal?) workforce and that the cultivation attempt was on a large scale in a remote part of the National Park. Money laundering the profits from such a venture would only have been the tip of seriously organised criminal conspiracy.
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