(CA) Feds give $400K to fight marijuana grows in the Valley

[Jesus Malverde]

Law enforcement teams in the Central Valley working to get rid of marijuana plantings got a $400,000 boost from a federal agency on Friday.

The Office of National Drug Control Policy awarded the supplementary funds to the Central Valley High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area, made up of local, state and federal law enforcement offices and agencies.

Fresno County Sheriff Margaret Mims is chairwoman of the program, which stretches from Shasta to Kern County.

Illegal marijuana growing is booming, and has mostly moved from the mountains to the Valley floor over the past several years, Mims said.

So far this year, about 233,000 marijuana plants have been removed in Fresno County, said Lt. Rick Ko, in charge of special investigations and marijuana investigations for the Fresno County Sheriff's Office.

Read more here: http://www.fresnobee.com/2013/11/08/3597635/feds-give-400k-to-fight-marijuana.html

Mims said the $400,000 will be divided this way: $136,000 to the Central Valley Marijuana Investigation Team, stretching from Fresno County to Kern County; $144,000 to the Mountain and Valley Marijuana Investigation Team, comprised of Mariposa and Merced counties; and $120,000 to the North State Marijuana Investigation Team in Shasta County.

Sen. Dianne Feinstein requested the Central Valley program receive $750,000. Last year, it received about $585,000, Mims said. There are 28 High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area programs nationwide, she said.

"Many (of the programs) didn't get anything, so we are very thankful that Sen. Feinstein used her influence to show the need here in the Central Valley because of our marijuana issues," Mims said.

[tularetom]

1. If they really want to do something about drug abuse out here in the Appalachia of California

They need to go after the thousands of meth cookers that are fucking up the air, the water and the overall health of the region.

Marijuana isn't 1% of the problem that these wannabe Walter Whites represent.

[Jesus Malverde]

2. plus a millon

Meth is a real problem up there.

[TeamPooka]

3. Prohibition is a failed public policy. nt

[99th_Monkey]

4. We have half a mil to throw around fighting bogus victimless "crime"

but we're cutting food stamps? That's some fucked up priorities.