chronicdog

This seems to be the place you hang out, even though this should really be reposted in Outdoor Growing.

Q: When do LEOs and the various associated agencies they work with begin the seasonal crackdown on outdoor grows? Is it a summer-long endeavor, or do most wait (like the theives do) until late Aug/Sept when there is actual bud on the plants?
Also, I'm sure eradication efforts vary greatly from state to state, and you seem most familiar with California, far far away from the chronic in question. But,
1: Scouting for plots: by air then land, or do LEOs ever just swarm en masse over land looking for MJ?
2: If by air first, I have heard that most MJ spotters don't use anything but keen eyesight to pick out patches and signs of human disturbance? Is this the case?
3: The chronic in question is a sizable plot of some 25 plants, some in the ground, some in containers, located a scant 100' from the property of the grower: on someone else's property! The house on the adjacent property is probably 800' from the patch, and is almost inaccesable except from the growers property. What would be the legal situation there? (Assuming there was no MJ or related equip. in the grower's house were it to be searched.)

Also, when is the point each season, around what date, when LEOs all over the country say, OK seasons over, we got our crops, time to bust the indoor growers now. Sept 15? Oct 1? Nov 1? Is the crackdown season over once a certain specified amount of MJ has been collected, or is it a date thing?

BTW, the notion of night vision goggle wearing, specially trained covert ops unit staking out a lowly pot grower is truly humorous, I bet folks in the future will look back and chuckle at how WE THE PEOPLE have decided to spend our cash.

BTW, I always enjoy your posts, except watch out for invitations to pissing contests!!!

-Chuck-

This is almost identical to my setup, I took everything out of my house just in case something happened. Least until I harvest. What I'd like to know is, in which cases will they seize your computer? Would they if they didn't find anything in your house? Or do they only do this when they do find aditional evidence?

Ganja Warrior

Yes, marijuana eradication efforts do vary from area to area. Mostly they vary based on the size of the "problem" facing law enforcement.

In areas where there is a "big problem" such as northern California, 25 plants would not be considered a "sizeable" plot, and would not be given much effort other that eradication. In areas where there is not much of a problem, local law enforcement may ger very excited about 25 plants and make a concerted effort to bring the "criminal" to justice.

The distance from a house is crutial in several respects. If the plants are in the curtilge of the house, curtilage being: "...the lands and grounds surrounding the dwelling which are necessary and conveient abd habitually used for faimly purposes and carrying on domestic employment." (Black"s Law Dictionaly), the local cops would need a search warrant to get into the garden. This, on the other hand, almost guarantees that a search warrant will be served on the premises.

If the garden is not in the curtilage, the local cops could legally sneek into the garden to investigate under the "Open Fields" doctrine. Once in the site, they could install cameras, follow trails and/or water lines, and do all they could to tie the garden to a residence. If the other house is far away and across sone form of physical barrier such as ravine, creek, river, etc., the local cops will almost alway focus their early attention on the nearest structure that has easy access.

Almost all spotting of outdoor marijuana is done by the ole "Mark 1, Mod 1, calibrated eyeball."

The "eradication season" depends on many things. Here in California, CAMP (Campaign Against Marijuana Planting) runs for a specific time frame, July thru September. The local sheriff's offices respond to any reports of cultivating any time of the year. Typically, we start flying and walking in late March or early April looking for sites we missed the year before whhile the leaves are still off the trees. We do alot of our foot recon and surveillance in June, July and August. September and October become the race for the plants, and November is the final follow-up, looking for vehicles coming out of growing areas with processed buds, money, etc.

Computers are routinely mentioned in search warrants today, and are siezed if we find anything incriminating on them, or find locked, password protected files we can't get into in the field.