Sheriff warns of marijuana ballot question after $15M drug bust FOX21 / Jared Wilson / 8,16,2012 PUEBLO COUNTY, COLO. -- Pueblo County Sheriff Kirk Taylor is warning marijuana legalization activists of the potential dangers of legalizing the drug after deputies uncovered a $15 million marijuana operation that included more than 7,000 plants. Taylor's team, which first discovered the marijuana grow in the San Isabel National Forest off Highway 165 in Rye back in January, collected evidence leading them to believe it is a Mexican drug cartel operation. “If you don't think they're here, they are and if we pass Amendment 64, there's going to be a lot more of them,†Taylor said in a statement released by his office Thursday following the first two arrests linked to the operation. Amendment 64 will appear on the Colorado ballot in November and will ask voters whether or not to legalize marijuana. The grow was first discovered by a snow-shoer in the area in January and was first reported as a meth lab. Deputies thought it was a former marijuana cultivation site until investigating further once the snow melted in May. Deputies found two sophisticated marijuana operations that included water pumps, irrigation lines and fertilizer - all strategically placed to gather sunlight, water and be concealed. In June, detectives went into the sites and found plants that had grown to 12-18 inches high. They also saw people in the area but did not make any arrests at that time. The U.S. Forest Service found two more grow sites while flying over the area earlier this month. The original purpose of the flyover was to check for beetle kill and tree damage. They also saw a man in camouflage in the area, and deputies got a search warrant. Nine agencies assisted in searching the area Wednesday. They found two marijuana grow sites that were larger than anticipated, and deputies think it's only the beginning of the estimated $15 million operation. Two men, 32-year-old Luis Leon-Tober and 29-year-old Abel Resendiz-Soto, were arrested at the scene. Four others ran away and were not found, but deputies said they are likely not a threat to citizens. Tober and Soto will be charged with unlawful distribution of 100 pounds or more of marijuana, illegal cultivation of marijuana 30 or more plants, illegal possession of marijuana more than 12 ounces and second degree criminal trespass. I wonder how much black market beer brewed by the cartels the good sheriff has confiscated,,,oops,,the cartels aren't making beer in competition with a legal market,,must not be enough money in it.
Must be a lot of people,,,with mega ton busts weekly on the border,,perhaps you should try it,,unless of course you are growing your own,,because that is the only way to be 100% positive you aren't already smoking cartel weed. PS. just because a dealer tells you his weed is not cartel weed doesn't mean a thing,,if they told their customers the weed was grown by NASA on the moon most people would believe them,,and yes,,the cartels are just as capable and more experienced at growing quality marijuana than you are.
The reason they are doing this is because it's illegal and they're a source to go to. If it were legal, there would be more legitimate sources and mexican cartels wouldn't be able to profit as much. It's funny that a sherrif has crime so backwards.
^don't forget law enforcement wants to keep it illegal also. if its legal then they would have to start going after violent criminals instead.
Sorry have I completely missed something here what its the Sherrif trying to warn people of that if your legalize weed more and more mexican drug dealers will come into the US and grow more weed than ever before if its legal? Surely the Sherriff is just showing us another reason why cannabis should be legalized to put cartels like this out of business by saying this ridicules statement. Legal weed=Legal grows Illegal weed= Dirty Mexican grows Not hard.
The sheriff is protecting his federal grant money that all police departments have come to depend on for their latest greatest SWAT gear.
That statement however will brainwash those who don't have a logical understanding of what you guys are talking about, and could possibly sway the polls. Cartels however have been doing this for a long time, I'm sure schwagg is not the only quality they're growing. I wouldn't be surprised if they were pushing decent dank all across the U.S.
[quote name='"TheCrunge"']Pueblo fuckin' sucks anyway. I met that sheriff once. He's a fuckin' asshole.[/quote] Is he also as much as a dumbass as it seems?
[quote name='"wuidd420"'] Is he also as much as a dumbass as it seems?[/quote] He's just arrogant and egotistical. Pretty much a douchebag.