NORTHERN CALIFORNIA LOCALS ASSAIL GOVERNMENT TACTICS IN MARIJUANA RAIDS

REDWAY, Calif. -- The annual harvest-season hunts for marijuana
fields by drug agents in low-flying helicopters routinely kill birds,
stampede farm animals, violate environmental laws and terrify innocent
homeowners, residents of California's rugged north country testified
Monday.

"You have to be here to see what it is like -- from the first of August
through September, it's like a war zone,'' said Dan Weaver.

Weaver and two dozen others testified at a public hearing ordered as
part of a settlement in a lawsuit challenging "Operation Greensweep,''
an August 1990 drug raid.
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"The big problem is these helicopters. This whole thing would be
calmed down significantly by getting those guys up higher,'' Weaver
said.

Residents complained that their privacy and property were violated and
said the propeller wash from the helicopters killed birds and spooked
livestock.

Last June, the settlement called on the Bureau of Land Management to
draw up a handbook for its drug raiders. The guidelines are expected
to be released in June.

Ed Denson said helicopters buzzed his barn and frightened his
workers.

"They say they fly at 500 feet, but actually, they're coming in at 200
feet. We're saying the handbook should require them to fly at least
1,000 to 1,500 feet,'' said Denson, who lives in Redway, about 220
miles north of San Francisco in Humboldt County.

Redway is within the so-called "Emerald Triangle'' made up of
Humboldt, Mendocino and Trinity counties. The region is known for its
lush wilderness, where many marijuana growers operate.