OFFICIALS CLEAN UP SITE OF POT RAID IN SEQUOIA

Cleanup continued Friday at the Sequoia National Forest, where authorities
uncovered a crop of marijuana they say is worth $219 million.

Authorities were in the forest Friday clearing away three tons of
fertilizer, pesticides, herbicides and other chemicals used to grow more
than 54,000 marijuana plants, the U.S. Forest Service reported.

The crop was discovered during an aerial survey of the Breckenridge
Mountain area, south of Lake Isabella. Each plant was about 5 to 8 feet
tall, according to the forest service.

In a news release, the forest service said the marijuana seizure was the
largest in the Kern County section of the forest this year. Authorities on
Friday also confiscated various farming supplies and camping equipment in
the garden area, which measured 100 feet by 1,000 feet.

Forest service officials say 184,000 plants have been eradicated in
California. In its statement, the forest service said Sequoia National
Forest is rivaling Daniel Boone National Forest in Kentucky as the top
cultivation area nationwide. Authorities say they will continue to tear
down marijuana cultivation sites in the forest and haul away any chemicals
used to farm them in an effort to protect visitors and to prevent damage to
bodies of water and other natural resources.

Before this bust, the largest drug raid of the year was Aug. 2 when
officials found 13,000 plants in the forest.