Five more arrested in marijuana grow in national forest
Five more arrested in marijuana grow in national forest
Wisconsin Attorney General J.B. Van Hollen announced late Thursday that five additional suspects were arrested in connection with a large-scale marijuana growing operation in the Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest.
No additional subjects are believed to be at large, according to the attorney general.
One person was arrested Wednesday when officers from federal, state and local law enforcement agencies eradicated about 10,000 plants over several acres about 25 miles northwest of Park Falls. Law enforcement was alerted to its presence by a hunter’s tip in November.
About 175 federal, state and local law enforcement agents were involved in Wednesday’s operation, which involved the removal of the marijuana plants and the processing of the site, which included a campsite used by the growers, for evidence. Loaded firearms were found at the campsite.
The grow operation is being investigated by the Wisconsin Department of Justice Division of Criminal Investigation, Ashland County Sheriff’s Department, U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, U.S. Forest Service, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, Northwest Area Crime Unit, a seven-county drug force that includes Superior police and Douglas County sheriff’s departments, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, and Great Lakes Indian Fish & Wildlife Commission.
source:Â Â Published August 12, 2011, 09:07 AM
