After a massive illegal marijuana grow operation in Douglas County was discovered and dismantled last month, Nevada law enforcement authorities say there were two other grows in the state that were also found.
In September 2021, the Nevada Department of Public Safety Investigation Division Mobile Response Team conducted two operations in partnership with local, state and federal agencies, in the areas of Lincoln and Nye County, Nev.
In Lincoln County, Investigators dismantled a grow site that supported approximately 20,000 marijuana plants. In Nye County, Investigators dismantled and eradicated a grow that contained approximately 7,850 marijuana plants, according to DPS in a news release.
The average mature marijuana plant will yield about 1 pound of usable marijuana, giving the marijuana produced from both sites an estimated street value of $2,800,000. Along with the eradication of illegal plants, investigators located and dismantled several living and camping structures, illegally dammed springs, and approximately three miles of PVC tubing used for water distribution, according to the news release.
Investigators also discovered the illegal and highly toxic pesticide Carbofuran, which the United States and other countries have banned due to its lethal toxicity.
On Sept. 20, 2021, the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office, Drug Enforcement Administration, Homeland Security Investigations, Bureau of Indian Affairs, Washoe Tribal Police Department, Nevada Division of Investigation, Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Nevada Cannabis Compliance Board served two search warrants in the Bodie Flats area of Gardnerville in Douglas County.
Both warrants were as a result of a lengthy investigation of an illegal marijuana grow, involving numerous Chinese nationals believed to be associated with organized crime, according to the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office.
During the raid, approximately 80 persons were contacted and detained for questioning. Two persons were arrested, one for an immigration violation and one for possession of a controlled substance, (not marijuana). The marijuana grow consisted of 160 greenhouses, containing a total of 60,066 marijuana plants. The street value of the marijuana seized is estimated to be in the millions. The total amount of marijuana destroyed by burying it on site, was 123,900 pounds.
The purpose of the operations was to eradicate two illicit marijuana grows on Nevada’s public lands, according to a Department of Public Safety news release. Partnering agencies include the Nevada National Guard Counter Drug, U.S. Bureau of Land Management, USDA Forest Service, Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office, Nye County Sheriff’s Office and assistance from the Drug Enforcement Administration Las Vegas for the Lincoln County operation, according to the news release.
The operations represent a coordinated law enforcement effort to combat the cultivation, harvesting, and transportation of illegal marijuana in and through Nevada. These cases demonstrate that the illegal market for marijuana and other narcotics continues to threaten the safety of Nevada communities, wildlife, and public lands, the news release states.
The Nevada DPS Mobile Response Team is comprised of detectives from the Nevada DPS Investigation Division and is assisted by local, state, county and federal law enforcement partners.
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