JORDAN VALLEY, Ore. (AP) — Many rural Oregon sheriff’s getting ready for marijuana growing season in remote areas of the state are warning ranchers, hikers and others to watch out for hidden plantations.
Malheur County Sheriff Andrew Bentz says pot growers are setting up camps, preparing soil for planting and laying out miles of PVC drip-irrigation lines.
It also means that counties are gearing up for a new season of aggressive raids on marijuana plantations.
After a record seizure of 300,000 pot plants statewide in 2007, the number fell to about 81,000 in 2008 because heavy snowpacks in the high country shortened the season.
