SHERIFF'S DEPUTIES SEIZE MORE THAN 8,000 MARIJUANA PLANTS

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) -- Sheriff's deputies in Calaveras County seized more
than 8,000 marijuana plants, worth up to $30 million, from a remote area
near Mokelumne Hill.

The plants ranged from 5 feet to 7 feet tall. Two suspects escaped during
the pre-dawn raid Thursday, deputies said.

Officers hiked about a half mile through thick brush to reach the site,
which was on Bureau of Land Management Land and was not visible from any roads.

Deputies said they recovered a loaded semiautomatic weapon from the site.

The plantation was spotted during routine air patrols of the area,
according to Sheriff's Deputy Gary Stevens.

Stevens said sheriff's deputies have recovered up to 11,500 plants in a
single raid before.

The plants from Thursday's bust were destroyed, but officers would not say
where or how.