TASK FORCE SEIZES 24,000 MARIJUANA PLANTS

It started as water theft: Avocado ranchers west of Temecula said
marijuana growers were tapping into their water lines.

A multi-agency task force was assembled to stop the theft and locate and
destroy the marijuana plants.

When the two-week program ended in May, authorities had seized 24,000
marijuana plants and made one arrest. The plants can be sold for $4,500
each when they reach maturity, officials said. More than 95 percent of
the marijuana farms were using stolen water from the avocado groves,
officials said.

"You have a lot of dense area and the (Cleveland) National Forest, so it
is not too hard to hide the marijuana," said Sgt. Mark Lohman, Riverside
County sheriff's spokesman.

The hills west of Temecula have been a favorite place for marijuana
growers. The canopy of trees and proximity to avocado groves are
opportunities for illegal activity.

The task force, including representatives of the Drug Enforcement
Administration, the Riverside County and San Bernardino County sheriff's
departments and the U.S. Forest Service, focused on La Cresta and the
Santa Rosa Community Service District.

Marijuana growers, according to officials, tap into the groves' water
supply to steal the water and vital nutrients that are often added to
the irrigation system. Lohman said some of the illegal water lines have
been tracked through dense brush for up to two miles.

The marijuana plants will be sent to a dump site, soaked in chemicals,
then buried.

"It's always been our goal to get rid of the marijuana, but we have not
always had the resources," Lohman said. "But we plan on continuing with
this program and being proactive to get rid of the marijuana plants."