Fucking A!
Yesterday in SoHum I saw a LARGE convoy of vehicles which included several BUDGET rental trucks, generators being towed and utility vehicles, I even passed the command vehicle which is shown in the newspaper. Sure I heard about the raids but figured 300 feds would be 1 hell of a logistics problem- these guys MUST be for the fair which is starting next week and all the carny's are arriving already. Besides (as I passed the vehicles) most of the drivers were Asian. Couldnt be the feds I thought.
FUCKING RUN! Its a WAR ZONE here right now! FEDS UP THE ASS!
Over 400! and they are busting massive shit. Below are some "BREAKING NEWS" headlines from the paper(s) in Eureka, the SoHumn papers havent updated yet, maybe they got busted??
Operation Southern Sweep to continue for a few days
Federal agents and personnel for Operation Southern Sweep expect to be in Humboldt County for a few days to deal with 29 warrants all connected to one group of people and their large-scale commercial marijuana cultivation and distribution, FBI special agent Joseph M. Schadler said.
The investigation kicked off two years ago by the California Department of Justice Bureau of Narcotic Enforcement and the FBI joined in the investigation shortly after, he said.
Operation Southern Sweep was initiated around 7 a.m. this morning and agents and personnel for the sweep have been coming into the area for the last several days.
“There was some accuracy to the rumors (about federal agents coming to Humboldt County for a marijuana crackdown) and the dates were penned down pretty well,” Schadler said.
Agents are not targeting 215 medical marijuana users or growers.
The sweep is focused on 23 discreet locations, residences, grow houses and two large chunks of property with four warrants and two state warrants, Schadler said.
No charges have been filed against anyone at this point and none are planned in the near future.
The goal is to collect evidence, look for evidence of crimes and things that have been purchased with illegal proceeds to support ongoing prosecution efforts, he said.
None of the raids will have impact an on fire suppression efforts and no public roads are being closed, Schadler said.
The focus of the sweep is mainly in southern Humboldt with some spillover in Arcata and there may be some spillover into Mendocino County, he said.
"I don't believe there is anything (happening regarding raids) in Eureka," he said.
Agents arrive in Humboldt to target marijuana grows
There are hundreds of agents in Humboldt County from the Federal Bureau of Investigation and Bureau of Narcotic Enforcement, Lt. George Cavinta of the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office said this morning.
A command post has been set up at the River Lodge in Fortuna, he said.
FBI special agent Joseph M. Schadler said there are approximately 450 agents from the FBI, BNE, Internal Revenue Service, Postal Inspection Office and a "sprinkling of agents" from the Drug Enforcement Agency in the county.
A mobile command post and a tactical operation center have been established at the River Lodge, he said.
UPDATED: Major sting targets commercial grow op (with video) - Times-Standard Online
UPDATED: Major sting targets commercial grow op (with video)
More than 400 federal and state agents executed search warrants in Southern Humboldt and Arcata today, part of an investigation into what the FBI described as a major commercial marijuana operation. A local hotel clerk reports that agents are booked in their rooms until Friday.
About eight FBI agents serving a search warrant at a house on Virginia Way just outside Arcata this morning were looking through apparent grow lights, tubing, boxes and bags. They refused to talk to the media.
Several warrants were also served in Southern Humboldt, including on Briceland Thorne Road. A checkpoint staffed with assault-rifle toting agents was reportedly set up at Alderpoint and Harris roads. Convoys of agency vehicles poured through several communities in Southern Humboldt.
The agencies were staging out of the River Lodge in Fortuna.
FBI spokesman Joseph Schadler said that agents with the FBI and the state were collecting evidence through 27 federal and two state warrants as part of a two-year investigation into a major marijuana cultivation and distribution operation.
”We're looking at a single group of folks,” Schadler said.
Warrants were being served on both indoor and outdoor growing operations, Schadler said, and the outdoor operations totaled some 2,000 acres. The U.S. Postal Service and Internal Revenue Service were also participating. Law enforcement does not plan to file charges against anyone at this stage, he said. Agents will continue to search the properties for hours or even days, he said.
Asked if agents had encountered resistance from the targets of the investigation, Schadler said he believed “everything went off without a hitch.”
Beti Trauth, manager and marketing/special events coordinator for the Eagle House Inn, said she was contacted by the Red Lion Inn about two weeks ago, asking if they could accommodate anyone for a government event. At the time, she said they inn had 20 rooms available.
”It's great for the hotels here,” Trauth said. ”It's like a bonus HSU graduation weekend.”
Trauth also said that it's not just good for the hotels, but for a wide swath of the local hospitality economy. ”These people have to eat too,” Trauth said.
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I have my own reasons for why this happened, because too many people from out of area come here thinking it is the candystore of marijuana and go nuts.
Imma grab my tent and jump on the harley for a few days.
Where is The Image Reaper hiding at? Wanna stoney buddy until things cool down (temp/fed wise) on the coast? LOL
:r astasmoke:
Other sites on the raids...
