OPERATION SOUTHERN SWEEP TO CONTINUE FOR A FEW DAYS

Federal agents and personnel for Operation Southern Sweep expect to
be in Humboldt County for a few days to deal with 29 warrants all
connected to one group of people and their large-scale commercial
marijuana cultivation and distribution, FBI special agent Joseph M.
Schadler said.

"They are not Mexican drug traffickers," he said. "They are home grown."

All 29 warrants have been served and no additional warrants have been
issued as a result of those warrants, Schadler said.

The investigation kicked off two years ago by the California
Department of Justice Bureau of Narcotic Enforcement and the FBI
joined in the investigation shortly after, he said.

Operation Southern Sweep was initiated around 7 a.m. this morning and
the approximately 450 agents and personnel for the sweep have been
coming into the area for the last several days.

"There was some accuracy to the rumors (about federal agents coming
to Humboldt County for a marijuana crackdown) and the dates were
penned down pretty well," Schadler said.

Agents are not targeting 215 medical marijuana users or growers.

The sweep is focused on 23 discreet locations, residences, grow
houses and two large chunks of property with four warrants and two
state warrants, Schadler said.

No charges have been filed against anyone at this point and none are
planned in the near future.

The goal is to collect evidence, look for evidence of crimes and
things that have been purchased with illegal proceeds to support
ongoing prosecution efforts, he said.

None of the raids will have impact an on fire suppression efforts and
no public roads are being closed, Schadler said.

The focus of the sweep is mainly in southern Humboldt with some
spillover in Arcata and there may be some spillover into Mendocino
County, he said.

"I don't believe there is anything (happening regarding raids) in
Eureka," he said.