Copperopolis, CA…On 10-4-17 members of the Calaveras County Sheriff’s Office Marijuana Enforcement Team accompanied Code Compliance Officers on the service of an abatement warrant at a marijuana cultivation site on Walker Trail, which is rurally located between Copperopolis and Jenny Lind. This location was pending finalized registration with the Planning Department as a commercial medical marijuana cultivation site, however numerous additional marijuana cultivation plots well in excess of the allowable canopy size had been discovered on this parcel.

Upon arrival several subjects were seen fleeing on foot. Several trucks seen driving on the property were also abandoned in the roadway when deputies attempted contact with the drivers, who also fled on foot. Fish and Wildlife Game Wardens responded to the scene for evidence of poaching, as well as environmental impacts of this site on nearby creeks. Five plots with a total of 680 marijuana plants were eradicated.

Deputies found connections and inter-linking roadways between the unauthorized sites with three surrounding parcels that had commercial marijuana cultivation registrations underway, including the original parcel that was subject to the planned abatement.

The Sheriff’s Office obtained a search warrant for the surrounding interconnected locations. An additional 2,298 marijuana plants were eradicated along with a large quantity of drying marijuana, as well as thousands of pounds of marijuana in various stages of processing. None of the fleeing suspects were captured during this operation, but multiple campsites and personal property located on scene indicated that individuals were living on-site cultivating and processing the marijuana. Due to the large number and size of the marijuana plants, the eradication of the plots was completed on 10-5-17. Calaveras County Sheriff’s Office Marijuana Enforcement Team members are still conducting follow-up and interviews. No further information is available at this time. One firearm and a set of body armor were seized during the search warrant service. A total of 2,978 marijuana plants were eradicated. Thousands of pounds of drying and processed marijuana were also seized.