The Hoopa Valley Tribe of California has seen an increase in marijuana farms on the reservation, Chairman Leonard Masten said.

Tribal biologists and foresters were performing spotted owl surveys at night when someone fired gunshots at them. The tribe reported the incident to local authorities and what they found was a sophisticated marijuana operation with over 26,000 plants.

”That took it to the point where it was a safety issue, so we decided enough's enough, and we got a hold of the sheriff,” Masten told The Eureka TImes-Standard.

The tribe, the Bureau of Indian Affairs and local and federal authorities spent hours to remove the plants. The farm was found on a sacred site.

”We're very conscious of what we do on our land, and it's our responsibility to protect it so that, 100 years from now, new generations coming up still have it,” Masten told the paper.

Get the Story:
Humboldt update: Sophisticated 26,000 plant marijuana operation on Hoopa tribal lands (The Eureka Times-Standard 8/9)