No arrests for 1/2 Billion dollars worth of Marijuana eradication!
Times-Standard Online - Four-day long bust biggest in Humboldt County history OK now. What exactly is the deterrent? And just how do law enforcement determine that a Mexican Cartel is involved? What was the evidence? Sombrero's? Coronas left on the sight? Of course there are going to be Illegals guarding and cultivating! That does not mean a "Mexican Cartel" is controlling the operation. For this big of operation you would need many people. And law enforcement could not find one!
Let us legalize the stuff and tax it. And use the tax money to support law enforcement's war on Meth! And other social services that Meth addicts may need.
County employee linked to pot bust
ReplyDeleteby Nathan Rushton, 8/16/2007
The Eureka man arrested Aug. 3 on suspicion of cultivating 3,046 marijuana plants found on a Garberville-area property has been identified by the county as one of its own.
Brenda Godsey, public information officer for the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office, confirmed Wednesday that Soran Zachary Anderson, 35, was employed by the county at the time of his arrest.
Anderson works for the Economic Development Division of the Community Development Services Department — the same department that has been involved in years of litigation regarding the property where the marijuana grows were found.
As previously reported by The Eureka Reporter, Anderson was arrested by sheriff’s deputies and Humboldt County Drug Task Force agents following the serving of an inspection warrant by the Humboldt County Code Enforcement Unit on an unspecified tract of land on the former Tooby Ranch property.
Anderson subsequently posted $20,000 bail and was released.
Reached by phone Wednesday afternoon at the Economic Development Division office in Eureka, Soran “Rio” Anderson wouldn’t comment on the incident and referred all questions related to the matter to his attorney Mark Harris.
Arcata-based Harris, who advertises himself in an area telephone book as a “marijuana defense” attorney, also declined to discuss the matter or confirm whether Anderson was a client.
A source in the Community Development Services Department who asked not to be identified wouldn’t comment Wednesday on the nature of Anderson’s work, saying it was a personnel matter, but indicated Anderson was a temporary employee who had already given notice of his intent to end his employment with the county.
That county employee did, however, say Anderson had no connection to county policy or work related to the Tooby Ranch property or the ongoing litigation.
It was unclear as of press deadline whether his resignation had been accepted, and while an attempt to contact CDS Director Kirk Girard was made Wednesday, he was out of the office, according to his secretary.
The county has been embroiled in costly litigation regarding the Tooby Ranch property stretching back more than five years.
The county filed a lawsuit against Garberville-area businessman Robert McKee in 2002, claiming he violated the state’s Williamson Act and Subdivision Map Act when he purchased the approximately 13,000-acre ranch near Garberville from the estate of Arthur Tooby and sold off more than 30 parcels.
While the county claimed subdivision of the ranch property diminished the viability of the agricultural production regulated by the contracted lands under the county’s Williamson Act guidelines, Humboldt County Superior Court Judge W. Bruce Watson dismissed those charges in favor of McKee.
The most recent phase of the trial — to hear the county’s claims that McKee violated unfair competition laws by making road and other structure improvements to the property without permits — ended in early June without a ruling.
The case against Anderson is still under investigation. The Humboldt County vs. McKee court matter is scheduled to resume Nov. 5.
Inquiring minds want to know,is county government doing business with Mexican cartels?
Richard - it is all but legalized here and we have the crime to show for it.
ReplyDeleteit is all but legalized here and we have the crime to show for it.
ReplyDeleteThen why the busts?
And why are CAMP and the sheriff's department determined to keep the price so high?
ReplyDeleteOh Eric - it is legalized with the DA not the cops, so they will still be doing the raids and seizing the toys. There will just continue to be no consequences other than losing your crop and your money.
ReplyDeleteNobody's losing any money,that's for sure.
ReplyDeleteOh wait,those of us paying taxes to support CAMP and Sheriff's department sure are.
ReplyDeleteMost of the crime locally is from the meth freaks ripping people off for another fix. However, lots of the heroin found locally is being supplied by illegal mexicans.
ReplyDeleteCounty trying to legalize pot?? Next Tuesday's meeting of BOS.
ReplyDeleteMaybe the guy that worked for the county found out that pot growers can make money and decided to try for himself. Might have worked for an appropriate department - Economic Development.
I wonder if that's what lies behind the Tammy Falor fiasco,she was aware that a county employee was involved in a pot deal with a Mexican cartel.
ReplyDeleteDon't think that is what did Faylor in. That one is still in the closet but just might come out.
ReplyDeleteFaylor and Gallegos were the ones financing the grow.
ReplyDeleteCAMP confiscated George W. Bush's personal stash? That drug addict is going to be pissed!
ReplyDeleteIf George W. Bush can smoke crack and get away with it, then why in the hell should any pot-smoker be arrested ever?
ReplyDelete