$200 MILLION IN POT SEIZED IN HUGE KERN BUST

Law enforcement officials made the largest marijuana bust this year in the
Kern County section of the Sequoia National Forest Wednesday.

Officials said multiple gardens with a total of approximately 50,000 plants
were found during a recent aerial exploratory survey.

Sequoia National Forest spokesman Artie Colson said the plants ranged from
5 to 8 feet tall and were valued at $200 million.

The gardens were located in the Havilah area, about 10 miles south of Lake
Isabella and north of Walker Basin. The gardens were spread out over a
four-mile radius.

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

"This (recent bust) pretty much dwarfs all of that. We really didn't have
any indication that it (marijuana) was so prevalent," Colson said.

About 75 officers from eight different agencies were on site by 6 a.m.
Wednesday.

Some officers were lowered to the ground on ropes by helicopters in the
more isolated areas, according to officials.

Colson said they found an "ingenious" setup, complete with an irrigation
system and fertilizers.

The agencies involved were: California Highway Patrol, Kern County
Sheriff's Department, Bakersfield Police Department, Department of Justice,
Forest Service, Bureau of Land Management, State Bureau of Narcotics
Enforcement and the Drug Enforcement Agency.

The bust was part of Campaign Against Marijuana Planting (CAMP).

Colson said the CAMP program has seized a total of 150,000 marijuana plants
throughout the state.

Officials planned on spending Wednesday and today cutting down the plants
to be transported to a disposal site, where they will be buried.

Colson advised people to be careful if they plan on visiting the forest
over Labor Day weekend.

"If you spot anything suspicious, turn around and walk away," he said.

The gardens are often booby-trapped with guns, fish hooks and other devices.