Marijuana plants are seized during an aircraft campaign
By Leigh Ann Maze
Deputies from the Santa Clara County Sheriff's Office along with members of the Air National Guard spotted a small growth of marijuana plants in Saratoga on Aug. 18, from a Campaign Against Marijuana Planting (CAMP) aircraft.
About 15 to 20 plants were spotted growing on a hillside near Highway 9 and Congress Springs Road. The CAMP officers use only their eyes to locate plants, according to Sgt. John Hirokawa, Sheriff's Department spokesman. CAMP operates throughout the state of California.
"Marijuana has a very distinct look from the air that other vegetation doesn't have," Hirokawa said.
It was the first seizure in California in the 2000 CAMP season, which started in June, Hirokawa said, when the plants are beginning to grow. They reach maturity in August or September, Hirokawa said.
Last year Santa Clara County boasted the second largest marijuana seizure in the state and in 1998 Santa Clara County had the largest seizure in the state, Hirokawa said.
On Aug. 23 Sheriff's Deputies Gary Peterson, Chris Frechette and Keith White, along with three agents from the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), returned to the Saratoga site on foot and cut the marijuana crop.
The plants have been marked for destruction but are being kept in the sheriff's evidence locker because there are no links to suspects or residents in the area.
According to sheriffs, the small growth would have constituted a street value of about $75,000.
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Saratoga, California Since 1955
