Las Vegas Sun

March 28, 2024

1,075 pot plants seized in Spring Mountains bust

Weed Bust

Sam Morris

Law enforcement officers remove some of the 1,075 marijuana plants they seized at a grow site in the Carpenter Canyon area of the Spring Mountains on Wednesday, Sept. 14, 2011.

Updated Wednesday, Sept. 14, 2011 | 5:26 p.m.

Carpenter Canyon Marijuana Raid

Law enforcement officers haul away plants during a raid of a marijuana grow operation in the Carpenter Canyon area of the Spring Mountains on Wednesday, Sept. 14, 2011. Launch slideshow »

Marijuana bust

Authorities seized more than 1,000 marijuana plants Wednesday from an outdoor grow site in the Carpenter Canyon area of the Spring Mountains west of Las Vegas.

UPDATED STORY: Marijuana farmers moving into nearby mountains

Law enforcement authorities dismantled a marijuana grow site today in the Carpenter Canyon area of the Spring Mountains west of Las Vegas, seizing about 1,075 marijuana plants.

A Metro Police search and rescue squad discovered the outdoor grow site while leaving an unrelated operation in July, officials said. Authorities continued the investigation since then, culminating in today’s launch of an operation dubbed “24D” — a common name for an herbicide.

Authorities removed the marijuana plants from the site and trucked them to an undisclosed location, where they will be buried, officials said. Carpenter Canyon is located on the west side of the Spring Mountains near Mount Charleston.

The operation involves authorities from the U.S. Forest Service, Metro Police, the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Nevada Department of Wildlife.

The raid comes less than a month after authorities seized 4,685 marijuana plants worth an estimated $23.4 million from a site near Mount Charleston in the Deer Creek area between Kyle and Lee canyons.

Authorities have dismantled three other marijuana grow farms in Lincoln County the past few months, said Sgt. Erik Lloyd of Metro’s narcotics section.

Law enforcement officials expect to encounter even more outdoor grow sites, the latest trend involving marijuana in Southern Nevada.

“They’re here to stay,” Lloyd said. “This is just the start.”

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