MARIJUANA CULTIVATED WIDELY IN COUNTY, MANTECA POLICE SAY

Narcotics officers in San Joaquin County have been busy trying to stem the
production and use of methamphetamine and other illicit drugs, but they
still have their hands full combating marijuana cultivation.

"There's a lot of marijuana out there, especially with the young people,"
said Manteca narcotics officer Barry Blackburn.

Narcotics officers admit that cracking down on marijuana has taken a back
seat to countering methamphetamine and heroin. Police say meth and heroin
addicts are more likely to steal to support their habit than a marijuana user.

"Marijuana really isn't a troublemaker's drug (in Manteca)," Blackburn
said. "In large quantities, marijuana is more affordable than meth."

Manteca police say it's not unusual to find marijuana growing in people's
houses or back yards. Oftentimes, marijuana growers are reported by
neighbors who detect its odd smell or know what the plant looks like.

Marijuana production in unincorporated parts of the county is a bigger
problem than in city limits, law enforcement officials said.

"The valley is very compatible for high-grade marijuana growth," said San
Joaquin County Sheriff's Department detective Wayne Brunmeier.

Most of the marijuana fields sheriff's officials find are on small Delta
islands that are ripe for growing the drug.

Marijuana producers may also conceal their crop by growing it in tall corn
fields or with other plants.

Manteca police officers, acting as part of the county-wide M-Cops task
force, recently raided a field near Escalon and seized about 12 pounds of
marijuana.

Other producers hide marijuana by altering the direction that their illegal
plants grow. San Joaquin County Sheriff's deputies and narcotics detectives
have found marijuana tied down so it grows sideways along the ground.

Sheriff's detectives find most marijuana patches via tips. Leads have
helped investigators uncover fields ranging in size from one to 3,000
marijuana plants, Brunmeier said. Most growers harvest marijuana on land
that doesn't belong to them and use armed guards to protect their crop.

"We've had some homicides committed over marijuana," Brumeier said. "People
guard the fields and they get into fights and wars."