$19 MILLION BUST SIGNALS BEGINNING OF MARIJUANA HARVEST SEASON

IDYLLWILD -- With the marijuana harvest season just around the corner,
narcotic agents say Wednesday's $19 million pot bust is just the beginning.

"We are going to get real busy," said Riverside County Sheriff's Sgt.
Andrew Neilsen of the Special Investigations Bureau.

The marijuana-growing season begins with seed planting in early April and
ends with the majority of harvesting in September and October.

Officers seized 3,460 marijuana plants in the raid about a half-mile from
Idyllwild near Strawberry Creek in the San Bernardino National Forest. The
growing field was spotted by aircraft surveillance. No one was arrested.

The plants, which ranged in height from 3 to 7 feet tall, were grown with
an elaborate watering system made up of plastic pipes. The pipes were
connected to Lake Hemet and Strawberry Creek.

Another bust occurred Aug. 1 in Rice Canyon in the Cleveland National
Forest. In that operation, deputies seized 1,300 marijuana plants worth
about $7 million.

Neilsen said Riverside County has become a popular place for marijuana
crops because numerous rural areas provide ample cover for growers. Arrests
are tough because such crops require minimal labor, he said.

In Calexico, U.S. Border Patrol Agent Al Nieto said they will also make a
lion's share of seizures from smugglers. The drug traffickers float it
across canals, backpack or and drive it through the deserts and valley to
Los Angeles, he said.

"It's the season," Nieto said. "This time of year, we will see large
quantities of marijuana coming in."

This year, agents have made 72 seizures worth $10.4 million, Nieto said.
Last year, agents made 94 seizures worth $12.7 million, Nieto said.

This year, SIB deputies have seized about 60,000 marijuana plants worth an
estimated $330 million in the county. Last year, the SIB seized a
half-billion dollars worth of marijuana plants countywide.