Marijuana Grow Sites Discovered in San Mateo County Coastal Mountains

More than 8,100 marijuana plants worth over $28 million were seized from grow sites in the San Mateo County mountains during August and early September, law enforcement officials announced Tuesday.

The San Mateo County Narcotics Task Force — working in conjunction with the U.S. Forest Service, the Department of Fish and Wildlife, the California Air National Guard and sheriff's offices in Santa Clara and San Mateo counties — combed the coastal ranges and raided around a dozen marijuana grow sites, many of which tapped into available water sources for irrigation, Task Force Commander John Munsey said.

Officers located the secluded sites by flying over and hiking through a wide mountainous area south of state Highway 92 to the border of San Mateo and Santa Clara counties, Munsey said.

No suspects were located and no arrests were made during the raids, Munsey said.

Along with the pot plants, officers hauled out around 4 tons of garbage, which included propane tanks, fertilizers, pesticides, rodent poison, stoves, sleeping bags, tarps, and thousands of feet of irrigation tubing, Munsey said.

Officers also seized a 12-Gauge shotgun with multiple types of ammunition, he said.

The investigation into the grow operations is ongoing, he said.