NEARLY A BILLION DOLLARS WORTH OF MARIJUANA CONFISCATED

SACRAMENTO, Calif. - A record 241,164 marijuana plants with a wholesale
value of $965 million were confiscated during this year's Campaign Against
Marijuana Planting, Attorney General Bill Lockyer reported Tuesday.

"This was the most successful year in the 17-year history of the CAMP
program," Lockyer said.

The previous record was 166,219 plants in 1985. Lockyer estimated the
marijuana seized this year could have produced 219 million marijuana cigarettes.

The 1999 program involved agents from state and federal governments as well
as 70 local governments who raided marijuana gardens in 19 counties under
the supervision of the state Justice Department's Bureau of Narcotic
Enforcement. Agents were divided among three teams, which went into the
field in July and stayed until the harvest was over in mid-October.

In addition to seizing and destroying plants, they arrested 23 people and
confiscated 14 weapons.

Lockyer noted that in recent years there has been a shift in operations from
traditional North Coast gardens to larger plantations in Central and
Southern California as foreign drug cartels have become more involved in the
trade.

"Marijuana farms are emerging on public lands," Lockyer said. "These are
very large operations, often planted in rows like commercial crops. This
trend represents a dangerous situation to hikers and other outdoor
enthusiasts who may stumble upon a grower prepared to defend a multi-million
dollar crop," Lockyer said.

Nonetheless, agents confiscated the most plants _ 63,107 _ in Mendocino
County on the north coast. Second was San Benito County, where 52,031 plants
were taken, followed by Fresno County with 51,964 plants destroyed. No raids
were conducted in Sacramento-area counties.