AGENTS SEIZE MORE PLANTS FROM MARIJUANA FIELDS

HOLLISTER -- A week after they concluded the biggest marijuana bust in
state history, drug agents were in south San Benito County on Thursday
uprooting plants in the same operation.

The earlier raid -- which turned up 48,000 top-quality plants worth an
estimated $96 million wholesale -- also netted 10 suspects, all from
Madera. They are in San Benito County Jail charged with conspiracy to
cultivate marijuana and possession of marijuana for sale.

Agents were uprooting marijuana plants in two gardens Thursday, Bob
Cooke, commander of the state attorney general's local narcotics team,
said. He estimated there were more than 2,000 plants in each garden.

The two gardens where the marijuana was found this week are about 10
miles apart and about 20 miles from the scene of last week's raid near
San Benito Mountain, Cooke said. The area is extremely remote and in
the midst of mountains cut by deep canyons.