Yurok Tribe welcomes raid of marijuana farms on reservation


One of the marijuana farms that was shut down as part of Operation Yurok. Photo from Yurok Tribe

The Yurok Tribe is welcoming the raid of marijuana farms on and near its reservation in northern California.

The tribe is working with state and local authorities to shut down "dozens" of illegal farms in the area. Vice Chair Susan Masten said the operations are harming the environment and wasting water resources.

“The illegal plantations that we are targeting pose a severe threat to our natural resources, our water and our way of life,” Masten said in a press release. “It breaks my heart to see these 10,000 plant grows sucking our watersheds dry, while our community is on the brink of running out of water. It is unacceptable and it is immoral.”

"Operation Yurok" will continue throughout the week. Authorities hope to seize more plants than they did last year, when 15,000 plants were removed on and near the reservation.

Get the Story:
Marijuana raids underway on tribal land (KRCR 7/14)
Marijuana search warrants served in Weitchpec (The Eureka Times-Standard 7/15)

Relevant Documents:
Department of Justice Policy Statement Regarding Marijuana Issues in Indian Country (October 2014)

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