THOUSANDS OF MARIJUANA PLANTS SEIZED IN RAID

LOS OSOS, Calif. (AP) -- A raid on a marijuana farm hidden by thick
vegetation netted about 7,200 plants, some of them 7 feet tall, that had an
estimated street value of $21 million, the San Luis Obispo County Sheriff's
Department said.

No arrests were immediately made.

Investigators acting on an anonymous tip found the plants Wednesday in nine
"gardens" on a 20-acre site in a mountainous area of this unincorporated
community, Sheriff's Lt. Steve Boltz said.

It was the largest number of plants seized at one time in the county,
sheriff's Sgt. Sean Donahue said. Each plant had an estimated value of
$3,000, he said.

The plants, ranging from 3 feet to 7 feet tall, were between three to four
weeks from maturity, Boltz said. They were scattered in drip-irrigated
plots, concealed from the air by scrub and oaks.

The marijuana farm was not as sophisticated as indoor farms that use grow
lights and hydroponics, but it was labor-intensive, Boltz said.

"There was a great deal of brush clearing, tree limbs cleared with chain
saws," Boltz said. "These plants were very well cared for."

The landowners were not suspected of involvement.

The property, about 10 miles northwest of San Luis Obispo, was rarely
visited because it was too steep to cultivate. It is surrounded by cattle
ranches, grain and sugar pea farms, Boltz said.

Deputies also seized shovels, rakes, hoes and other gardening tools.

The crop would be destroyed, he added.