AGENTS ARRIVE IN HUMBOLDT TO TARGET MARIJUANA GROWS

There are hundreds of agents in Humboldt County from the Federal
Bureau of Investigation and Bureau of Narcotic Enforcement, Lt.
George Cavinta of the Humboldt County Sheriff's Office said this morning.

A command post has been set up at the River Lodge in Fortuna, he said.

FBI special agent Joseph M. Schadler said there are approximately 450
agents from the FBI, BNE, Internal Revenue Service, Postal Inspection
Office and a "sprinkling of agents" from the Drug Enforcement Agency
in the county.

A mobile command post and a tactical operation center have been
established at the River Lodge, he said.

There are approximately 2,000 acres of commercial marijuana growing
operations in Humboldt County and 27 locations are being targeted,
Schadler said.

Agents are not targeting 215 medical marijuana users or grows, he
said. They are targeting for profit grows by people who have pooled
their funds together to establish large marijuana growing operations.
Agents are searching homes, seizing weapons and removing marijuana
plants. They are not anticipating any federal arrests today, he said.
People will be taken into custody but agents do not plan any federal
charges against those people in the near future.

Efforts were made to keep the operation secret for the safety of the
agents and the suspected marijuana cultivators, Schadler said.

FBI agents raided a house at 1658 Virginia Way in Sunny Brae early
this morning. Around 10 a.m., agents combed through the trunk of a
gray car parked in the driveway. The car had Oregon license plates.

A pile of equipment including lamps, triangular containers and hoses
were spread across the yard.

It is not known if any arrests were made by agents at this time.

"I have no idea how long (FBI agents) were there," said former Arcata
mayor and councilmember Bob Ornelas., who lives across the street
from the house that was raided.

He stepped outside his door around 8 a.m. this morning and saw eight
agents around the house across the street, he said.

He said he prefers neighbors to unoccupied grow houses and the sound
of children over silence.

"The pattern is no one's ever home," he said regarding the house that
was raided.