Pot Garden Bust Nets $1.1 Million In Plants

In a story we broke yesterday morning… Tuolumne County Narcotics Task Force officers conducted the raid on a marijuana plantation about three miles south of highway 120 on Priest Coulterville Road.

According to Sheriff Sgt. Roger Dittberner, 2,019 marijuana plants ranging in size from four feet to twelve feet in height were seized and destroyed. The street value of the pot is estimated at $1,115,000.

Mexican Nationals guarding the pot garden were armed and had several boxes of ammunition at the camp. One suspect was taken into custody, two more suspects fled the scene and are still at large as of this morning. A man hunt was underway yesterday in the Priest Coulterville Road area.

Authorities say the camp also included a marijuana processing site, cultivation tools, saws, fertilizer, scales, packing materials, food items and camping gear.

Anyone with information on the suspects whereabouts should contact the Tuolumne County Sheriff´s Department, (209) 533-5815, or TNT investigator A.J. Fors at (209) 694-2950.